Protomartyr are back with a new album called Formal Growth in the Desert. The album is out June 2nd via Domino, and the announcement comes with 2023 tour dates and the new single “Make Way.”
In a press release, Protomartyr singer Joe Casey recalled undergoing formal growth of his own — in his hometown of Detroit, though, more than the proper desert. The death of his mother following a 10-plus year battle with Alzheimer’s combined with a series of break-ins in his family home prompted the artist to finally move out. “The desert is more of a metaphor or symbol,” he explained, “of emotional deserts, or a place or time that seems to lack life.”
Protomartyr will leave their metaphorical desert soon, when they embark on a lengthy world tour. The trek begins in North America and includes a run of shows at South by Southwest before wrapping up in July; come August, the band will head over to Europe and the UK. See their full list of tour dates below, and grab tickets beginning Friday, March 10th via Ticketmaster. Alternatively, fans can purchase tickets via Stubhub — where your order is 100% guaranteed through Stubhub’s FanProtect program.
Guitarist Greg Ahee co-produced Formal Growth In The Desert alongside Jake Aron. Lead single “Make Way” opens the album with alternating quiet and intensity, with western-sounding guitar and Casey’s low drawl building to commanding chants to, of course, “make way.” The track comes with a music video directed by Trevor Naud, who explained in a statement that “There’s a deliberate through-line between the videos for ‘Make Way’ and 2020’s ‘Worm In Heaven.’ The two songs feel partnered with each other, so I wanted the videos to feel like they exist in the same world. There are layers of experiments happening — all within a closed environment. We don’t know what’s happened to the world outside, but there’s an undertone that things maybe aren’t quite right.”
Watch the clip for “Make Way” below, and scroll onward for the artwork and tracklist for Formal Growth in the Desert. Pre-orders for the LP, which follows 2020’s Ultimate Success Today, are ongoing.
Formal Growth in the Desert Artwork:
Formal Growth in the Desert Tracklist:
01. Make Way
02. For Tomorrow
03. Elimination Dances
04. Fun in Hi Skool
05. Let’s Tip the Creator
06. Graft Vs. Host
07. 3800 Tigers
08. Polacrilex Kid
09. Fulfillment Center
10. We Know the Rats
11. The Author
12. Rain Garden
Protomartyr 2023 Tour Dates:
03/11 — Columbus, OH @ Soupfest
03/12 — Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia
03/13 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
03/15 — Austin, TX @ SXSW – Laneway Official Showcase – Lucille
03/16 — Austin, TX @ SXSW – Levitation Showcase – Hotel Vegas
03/16 — Austin, TX @ SXSW – Brooklyn Vegan Showcase – Empire
03/17 — Austin, TX @ SXSW – Third Man Showcase – 13th Floor
03/18 — Dallas, TX @ Texas Theater
03/20 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel
03/21 — San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram
03/24 — Bakersfield, CA @ Temblor Brewing
03/25 — Reno, NV @ Holland Project
03/26 — Boise, ID @ Treefort
03/28 — Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
03/29 — Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
03/30 — Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
03/31 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
06/13 — Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
06/14 — Montreal, QC @ Fairmount
06/16 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
06/17 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
06/20 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/21 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
06/22 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
06/23 — Nashville, TN @ Blue Room
06/24 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
06/26 — Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street
06/28 — Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
06/29 — Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
07/01 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
07/02 — Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
07/05 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
07/06 — Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt
07/07 — Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
07/08 — Spokane, WA @ Lucky You
07/11 — St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
07/12 — Madison, WI @ High Noon
07/13 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
08/06 — Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom
08/07 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
08/09 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
08/10 — Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
08/11 — Cardiff, UK @ Clwb lfor Bach
08/12 — Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
08/14 — Eindhoven, NL @ Effenaar
08/15 — Hannover, DE @ Indiego Glocksee
08/17 — Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
08/18 — Bodo, NO @ Parkenfestivalen
08/19 — Trondheim, NE @ Pstereo
10/26 — London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
