California indie-pop duo slenderbodies have announced their new album, simple shapes, due June 10th. In conjunction with the announcement, the duo also released double singles, “tiger balm (magenta)” and “i can’t make up my mind”. Listen to both songs now below.
‘”tiger balm (magenta)’ was written about wanting to find balance in love, consistency and comfort. magenta is a color that is in between hot and cold, so essentially a metaphor for finding a comfortable middle ground, or becoming a non-polarized version of oneself,” said slenderbodies.
Discussing, “i can’t make up my mind,” they said, “exploring indecision. every facet of our lives were controlled by your decisions, and the thought of that can be overwhelming or overbearing at times. These extend even to choices like choosing the bed you sleep in which could help or hurt your health years down the line, or your simplest of hobbies becoming your career path or what you are known for, just because you decided to try it one day. Likewise, lack of choice can decide things for you sometimes.”
The 16-track, progressive and punchy, dream-pop album includes plenty of lush percussive guitars, synth and fun grooves in the drums.. The album title is derived from its title track, tying the record together with the song lyrics: leaving a trail of simple shapes – a metaphor for leaving a trail of significant memories as life progresses.
“All we really have are the little moments, and this is at the core of the themes of escapism, joy, frustration and emotional coping that are at the core of this record,” said the duo. “the new album explores a theme of lack of authenticity through representing ourselves online. Our first single, ‘plastic parts’ was the genesis of this, and is further explored through the concept of the mannequins in our visual content. beyond that initial theme, we explore themes of staying present as a means to deal with difficult things in the world, and paying attention to the role that music plays in our lives to let us escape into another world. overall theme of looking for contentment and consistent comfort over explosive fleeting joys”
The duo will hit the road on June 2 across North America. More information and tickets can be found HERE.
North America Tour Dates:
Jun 02 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Music Club
Jun 03 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
Jun 04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent
Jun 06 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
Jun 07 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Jun 09 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Jun 10 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Jun 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry @ Fillmore
Jun 13 – Washington D.C. @ Union Stage
Jun 14 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Jun 15 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Jun 17 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Jun 18 – Montreal, ON @ Ritz
Jun 19 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
Jun 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
Jun 22 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Bar
Jun 25 – Rothberg, MI @ Electric Forest
Jun 26 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Jun 27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
Jun 30 – Denver, CO @ Gothic
Jul 01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Hanger House
Jul 03 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Jul 04 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore
Jul 05 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
Jul 07 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
Jul 08 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre