In the fall of 2012, Copenhagen’s Lower broke into the US market with their EP Walk On Heads, eight minutes of blistering post-punk madness and unhinged hijinx. Their little blitzkrieg continued into the summer of 2013, marking their first North American tour surrounded by a handful of new singles through labels like Escho and 540. Now, they’ve secured perhaps their biggest American victory to date by signing to Matador Records, who will release their debut album Seek Warmer Climes on June 17th.
According to a press release, the album sees Lower “channel the romance and drama of great singer-songwriters, from late-period Scott Walker to Bryan Ferry”, resulting in a “hugely ambitious and affecting rock album that enters deeply personal and unusual sonic and topical spaces.” Added singer Adrian Toubro, “Every song on the record deals in some way with personal development, be it emotional or cosmetic. How to act in different social contexts, and to acclimatize oneself into a given situation without losing face.”
In addition to past offerings like “Another Life”, the 10-track LP features lead single “Lost Weight, Perfect Skin”. Described as a “representation of the trauma inherent in cosmetic improvement”, the song’s inherently complex subject matter is made easier to swallow with a mix of crashing drums, jagged bass, and New Wave-meets-bar-rock guitar that’s as dark and edgy as it is actually warm and poppy. It’s almost like a more Avant garde version of The Clash, or a more menacing take on a very early The Cure. (How could you go wrong with either?)
Listen in below:
Seek Warmer Climes Tracklist:
01. Another Life
02. Daft Persuasion
03. Lost Weight, Perfect Skin
04. Unkempt And Uncaring
05. Expanding Horizons (Dar es Salaam)
06. Bastard Tactics
07. Soft Option
08. Craver
09. Tradition
10. Arrows
In support of the album, Lower has announced a US tour for this summer, including dates with fellow countrymen Iceage. Consult their full schedule below.
Lower 2014 Tour Dates:
05/01-04 – Aarhus, DK @ SPOT Festival
05/16-17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Church On York *
05/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Wall Street
05/19 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
05/20 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
05/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
05/22 – Oakland, CA @ 1234 Go!
05/23 – Bakersfield, CA @ Munoz Boxing Gym
05/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ E 7th Street
05/27 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
05/28 – New York, NY @ Home Sweet Home (Nothing Changes)
05/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Golden Tea House
05/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Acheron
06/10 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
06/15 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla #
06/16 – Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny #
06/17 – Leeds, UK @ Belgrave #
06/18 – London, UK @ Koko #
08/22-24 – Reading and Leeds, UK @ Reading and Leeds Festivals
* = w/ Iceage, Puce Mary, and Sexdrome
# = w/ Fucked Up
