The Pauses have announced their new record, Unbuilding, to be released Friday, June 22 via Arctic Rodeo Recordings. Unbuilding marks the band’s sophomore release and was mixed and produced by the legendary J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines), who also helmed the band’s debut,
The band also released the album’s lead single, “Digital Detox,” which can be heard now below!
The Pauses have also recently announced headlining dates and a summer tour with Far. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of its classic LP, Water and Solutions, Jonah Matranga of Far will enlist The Pauses as his backing band for the tour and The Pauses will open each evening with a set of their own. A listing of dates can be found below along with more information on the band’s official website, https://www.thepauses.com.
With their sophomore release, Unbuilding, The Pauses have hit their sonic geyser, and attentive listeners can marvel at the resulting indie-rock & electronic glints and glitter. Their debut, A Cautionary Tale, introduced listeners to Kupfer’s studied ear and methodical rock flourishes, Chase’s technical rhythms, and Tough’s attentive musicality and immaculate vocal. Produced by J. Robbins, his influence can be heard in the heavier guitar propulsion that churns under the allure of the electronic ear candy on the surface. This combination live makes dancing feel like a decision the whole room made at once.
On the new album, The Pauses have evolved their collaborative songwriting, and few tracks show the pop heft of that effort as well as “Digital Detox.” It slams you almost like a wall of sound, with Tough’s typically clear-as-a-bell vocal distorted to great effect, evoking ‘60s girl groups with warped sensibilities. Trumpets, timpani, cello, theremin and electronic elements are called upon to create The Pauses’ authentic sound, and then whisked away to allow the vocals space, as in the sparse, unusual dreamscape on “Had/Have.”
Other times, the sound can bound in bilateral increments, like the playful piano to guitar crush of “The Means.” Their range is key, with loud, live rockers like “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Animus?”, which is particularly intense as it dangles wildly at the album’s end and concludes, “What a way to feel nothing real.” That line evokes an overarching theme of the album, which gazes into the black mirror and is smart enough not to take it seriously. Songs like “Eventually, Everything Connects,” “Digital Detox” and “Don’t Wake Me Up” suggest a rebellion against the online drone, with lines that invite you to throw your arms up and sing out, “I don’t need the details shoved down my throat.”
The Pauses will be touring this summer performing headline shows and with Far on their 20th anniversary tour of Water and Solutions. The Pauses will open these shows and serve as Jonah Matranga’s backing band for their set. Dates below with more to be added soon.
May 24 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury *
May 25 – New Orleans, LA @ Neutral Ground *
May 26 – Denton, TX @ The Space Station *
May 27 – Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlie’s *
May 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space *
June 2 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick #
June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hi Hat #
June 4 – Mesa, AZ @ Club Red #
June 5 – Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse Saloon #
June 7 – Amarillo, TX @ The 806 #
June 8 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater #
June 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Loading Dock #
June 12 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse #
June 13 – Portland, OR @ Analog Cafe #
June 15 – Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post #
June 16 – San Francisco, CA @ TBA #
July 12 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar ^
July 13 – Orlando, FL @ Blackstar ^
July 14 – Gainesville, FL @ High Dive ^
July 20 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
July 21 – Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
July 23 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
July 24 – Omaha, NE @ O’Leavers
July 25 – Chicago, IL @ Landland
July 26 – Bloomington, IN @ Blockhouse Bar
July 27 – Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia
July 28 – Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
July 29 – Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs
* – coustic
# – / Far
^ – / J. Robbins
Unbuilding track listing:
01. Eventually, Everything Connects
02. Don’t Wake Me Up
03. Digital Detox
04. Had/Have
05. The Beginnings of Things
06. The Best For The Most For The Least
07. The Means
08. Heart Of The Steal
09. Animus?