For those who count themselves among the insufferable people who relish Guerilla’s Toss’ earlier work to the explicit disregard of the band’s more recent, arguably more accessible albums: I’ve got bad news for you.
Kassie Carlson and company aren’t inanimate objects that only respond when handled or thrown into a tall grass; they’re mortal, and as such, their musical style changes more or less in accordance with their lives, as Carlson testified to in a semi-recent interview. Somehow people get it in their heads that bands are obligated to stick to a certain style that proved initially infatuating, but most of us also forget how difficult that is without sounding redundant; so it’s a careful line that artists consciously or unconsciously have to draw. Evolution without alienation. Game of Thrones without that character you loved. Or, in the case of this extremely busy, variably-staffed outfit based out of New York: manic without noise.
We’ll see how the upcoming album Twisted Crystal turns out on the whole, but all signs point to it being a natural continuation of the poppy intrigue and clarity found on their album from last year, GT ULTRA. Listen to the track, “Meteorological,” below, for instance. The music seems to occupy this alluring middle ground between actually poppy and an inherent wildness. Principle songwriter Peter Negroponte has some definite guerilla tossing skills.
You can pre-order Twisted Crystal, which comes out September 14 on DFA Records, here. Check out a plethora of fall tour dates below, as well.
Twisted Crystal tracklisting:
01. Magic Is Easy
02. Jesus Rabbit
03. Meteorological
04. Hacking Machine
05. Retreat
06. Come Up With Me
07. Walls Of The Universe
08. Jackie’s Daughter
09. Green Apple
Dates:
09.17.18 - Winooski, VT - The Monkey House
09.18.18 - Montreal, QC - l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
09.19.18 - Toronto, ON - The Baby G
09.20.18 - Cleveland, OH - Mahall’s
09.21.18 - Athens, OH - The Union
09.22.18 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout
09.24.18 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
09.25.18 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
09.26.18 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
09.27.18 - Lawrence, KS - White Schoolhouse
09.28.18 -Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
09.29.18 - Salt Lake City, UT - Diabolical Records
09.30.18 - Boise, ID - Funky Taco
10.02.18 - Butte, MT - Covellite Theater
10.03.18 - Spokane, WA - Bartlett
10.04.18 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project
10.05.18 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar
10.06.18 - Eugene, OR - Lorax
10.07.18 - Arcata, CA - Outer Space
10.09.18 - Redding, CA - The Dip
10.10.18 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
10.11.18 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
10.12.18 - San Deigo, CA - Whistle Stop
10.13.18 - Tijuana, Mexico - Moustache
10.14.18 - Phoenix, AZ - LBX
10.15.18 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
10.19.18 - Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas
10.20.18 - Denton, TX - Dan’s Silverleaf
10.23.18 - Nashville, TN - The End
10.24.18 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight
10.25.18 - Durham, NC - Wicked Witch
10.27.18 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
10.28.18 - Cambridge, MA - Elk’s Lodge
10.30.18 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theater