Alexander Tucker shares the first single "Energy Alphas" from his recently announced eighth studio album Guild of the Asbestos Weaver, due out on 23 August.

On the new single Tucker pushes a simple pop structure to breaking point, sculpting loops of overdriven bass, distorted electronics and multi-tracked vocals into a towering whole. The track's lyrics reference H.P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle; a series of short stories and novellas about a vast alternate dimension that could only be entered in dreams, as well as Alan Moore's graphic novel Providence, drawing on his knowledge of science fiction to create new worlds.
 
On Guild of the Asbestos Weaver, Alexander Tucker presents a expansion of his sound. Minimalist motifs are sculpted into deep drone constructions, Tucker weaving dense layers of sound to powerful disorienting effect. Music is employed a mode of psychic transportation, with collaged lyrics that spin tales of parallel dimensions and dream-like landscapes at the edge of perception. Through studio manipulation Tucker conjures vivid preternatural landscapes from a synthesis of instruments and electronic sources, dialling into the more esoteric aspects of his sound to create an immersive and intoxicating soundworld.

Alexander Tucker plays a special show as part of The Quietus Social series in London, UK on 26 September, with further dates to be announced.

Listen to Guild of the Asbestos Weaver single "Energy Alphas" now

Emptyset, the innovative duo of James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas, have announced their new album Blossoms, out October 11th. Blossoms focuses on ideas of evolution and adaptation, bringing together Emptyset’s body of exploratory sound production with emerging methods of machine learning through neural networks and raw audio synthesis. Showcasing the album's entirely unique sonic palette, the duo has released the track "Petal," a piece that blurs the lines between the organic and the mechanical with dense, bristling, shimmery textures.

Listen to the track on our mixtape, the pre-order page, or on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube - wherever you listen!

Emptyset will present the first live realization of Blossoms at Unsound Festival in Krakow this fall.

Eye Flys bring together the minds of four musicians known for their work in some of the most extreme, blistering bands today. The quartet will be releasing their debut Context on 13 September.  Ahead of the release, the band have shared the album’s opening track “Stems,” a snarling ode to skepticism.

 The direct, raw energy of Eye Flys’ music is simultaneously menacing and intoxicating. Drawing immediate comparisons to bands like Unsane, Cherubsand, need we say it, The Melvins, the quartet’s bludgeoning sound is underpinned by a razor sharp edge. Penetrating guitars and propulsive drums lay atop a foundation of deceptively intricate arrangements. The band was initially formed by Hazard and Forrest as an outlet to play aggressive music with equal intensity that would contrast with the breakneck speeds of their other projects. After asking Smith to join on guitar and vocals and Bernsten on bass, Eye Flys’ deliciously heavy sound was born.

Context was written and recorded just a few short months after the band’s inception. Channeling the excitement of playing together, their debut is as ferocious as it is addictive - a bold introduction and a taste of power to come.

Eye Flys will be touring the US this August, with more touring planned for 2019.

Listen to Eye Flys' Context single "Stems"

 

Eye Flys - Context tracklist

1. Stems

2. Dosed

3. Crushing of the Human Spirit

4. Weaponize

5. The Triumph of Hagbard Celine

6. Fuckface

 

Pre-order Context

Ahead of the release of his debut album Before You Begin, multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist Sequoyah Murray shares new single “Sublime.” Structured around glistening synthesisers and a distorted no-wave drum loop, "Sublime" drops you into the sheer ecstasy of new love.
 
At just 22 years old, Sequoyah Murray is crafting the kind of concise, singular musical statements brimming with the lustfulness of you. His mutant brand of modern soul is as deeply eclectic as it is instantly arresting, with elegant qualities that prompted early comparisons to Arthur Russell. Murray's boundless, playful approach to composition and incredible breadth of vision are balanced by concise editing. Futuristic electronics, West and North African influenced polyrhythms, gospel vocals and psychedelic Tropicália textures blend seamlessly, anchored by his astounding three-octave baritone. Before You Begin demonstrates the immense scope of his artistry. Composed, played and produced almost entirely by Murray himself, the album takes the listener on a deeply personal journey through youth.

Murray will be touring throughout the U.S. this fall, with plans to tour Europe

Listen to Sequoyah Murray's Before You Begin single "Sublime"

Ahead of the 12 July release of his debut Thrill Jockey album Helpless Spectator, Umberto (composer Matt Hill) has released the single "Absent Images" along with the first installation of a video series which showcases his music's impact on how one views the same scene. Thrill Jockey issued Umberto a challenge: can you transform a series of banal shorts (directed by Julia Dratel) into something emotive? The results are deeply affecting in entirely contrasting ways.

Stream "Absent Images" now

Umberto presents the first installation of short films which transform everyday footage into deeply affecting scenes:

Watch "The Dishes (Version A)" / Watch "The Dishes (Version B)"

Hill's work as Umberto is distinctly cinematic. Choosing the moniker as an homage to director Umberto Lenzi, Hill is an experienced and active film composer, most recently scoring the film All That We Destroy. In addition to film and commercial work, Umberto has released a number of lauded solo recordings. Hill’s compositions stand apart as beautiful as they are impenetrable, with pulsing synths that hint at 80s slasher films while pensive string passages evoke emotions without being sentimental.

On Umberto’s Thrill Jockey debut Helpless Spectator, his haunting music is otherworldly and affecting alike, leaving the listener with an unsettling and profound air of mystery. Hill makes masterful use of varied textures throughout the album, blending supernatural effects and grounded instruments to create distinct atmospheres. Helpless Spectator is inquisitive and moving in equal measure, an album of somber elegance and delicate arrangements whose cumulative effect of unease is entirely unexpected.

Helpless Spectator is available to pre-order now

Extremely excited to announce to welcome Ryley Walker and Charles Rumback to the TJ roster.

Two pillars of Chicago's free-improv scene, together the duo make deeply psychedelic instrumental music that recalls the sun-scorched sonic landscapes of Marisa Anderson, the legendary jams of Sandy Bull and Billy Higgins, or Neil Young circa Dead Man. 

Watch a live video from Philly's First Unitarian Chapel

We'll be releasing their sophomore collab album this fall (news and music to follow soon), but ahead of that you can get a sneak preview of music from the new record at Sonic Transmissions Festival, which the duo will be playing on June 13th. 

The British composer presents a dizzying expansion of his sound, ramping up the psychedelic properties of his music to create some of his heaviest and hallucinogenic work to date.

Watch the trailer video for a teaser of the music
 
Through inventive studio manipulation, Tucker threads minimalist motifs into deep drone constructions, stacking dense layers of sound to create immersive, intoxicating and disorientating pieces. 

Guild of the Asbestos Weaver will be out August 23rd and is available to pre-order now

Alexander Tucker will be playing Cafe Oto in London with Ariel Kalma on June 20th, and The Quietus Social in London on September 26th.

Written during the same sessions as his recent magnum opus Seven Horses For Seven Kings, Before After compiles pieces that were either too serene or abrasive to make sense on it's predecessor.

It stands as the most complete portrayal of Black To Comm's sound-sculpting powers to date, spanning everything from ethereal piano etudes to dissonant eruptions of noise.

Listen to new single "Eden-Olympia" now

Before After will be out on July 12th, and is available to pre-order now as a limited-edition LP on opalescent white vinyl.

At just 22, Sequoyah Murray has already established himself as one of the most exciting and innovative new voices in electronic music.

Building on the bold vision sketched out on this year's Penalties of Love EP, Before You Begin sees Sequoyah fully flexing his musical abilities, pushing his sound into even more eclectic territory while sounding only ever like himself.

Watch the video for single "Penalties of Love" now

On Before You Begin, Murray's mutant brand of modern soul is as deeply eclectic as it is instantly arresting, a quality that drew early comparisons to Arthur Russell. Like Russell, Murray has a boundless, playful approach to composition; an incredible breadth of vision balanced by concise editing. Futuristic electronics, West and North African influenced polyrhythms, gospel vocals and psychedelic Tropicália textures blend seamlessly, anchored by his astounding three-octave baritone.

Before You Begin is available to pre-order now on limited-edition colour LP and CD.

The Body have announced a short run of U.S. tour dates this September, including special sets with longtime collaborators The Assembly of Light Choir and appearances at Denver Hex Festival and Basilica Soundscape 2019.

The Body U.S. tour dates
Sep. 5 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Sep. 6 - Denver, CO - Denver Hex Festival
Sep. 7 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
Sep. 13 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre +
Sep. 14 - Hudson, NY - Basilica Soundscape 2019 +
Sep. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House +

+ w/ The Assembly of Light Choir

As it's name would suggest, Vive Les Fantômes has a certain haunted quality to it.

Some of Brandlmayr's most ambitious and exciting work to date, Vive Les Fantômes was crafted snippets of interviews, rehearsals, and performances by people whose work influenced Brandlmayr's artistic path: Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Jacques Derrida and more. Brandlmayr carefully sculpted samples into a coherent whole, creating a deeply psychedelic sound art-piece. 

Listen to an excerpt from the piece

Vive Les Fantômes was originally commissioned for German station SWR and awarded The Karl Sczuka Prize for Works of Radio Art, an honor previously given to the likes of John Cage, Luc Ferriari, Hanna Hartman, and Pierre Henry.

The record is available to pre-orders now

Extremely excited to introduce you to the latest addition to the Thrill Jockey family, LA composer Matt Hill aka Umberto. Hill was introduced to us by Wooden Shjips’ Ripley Johnson, and his cinematic synth-led ambience had us instantly hooked.
 
We’ll be releasing Hill’s latest solo record as Umberto, Helpless Spectator on July 12th. Stream the first single "Spontaneous Possession" now:

Listen to "Spontaneous Possession"

Helpless Spectator is Hill's collection of haunting and otherworldly pieces constructed from pulsing synths and pensive strings. Essential listening for fans of classic sci-fi and horror soundtracks, as well as modern composition and early electronic music aficionados.

Helpless Spectator is available to pre-order now

This September, powerhouse psych trio Pontiak will be touring throughout Canada with stoner rock outfit Sleep. Ahead of the tour, the Pontiak brothers will also be playing with Dead Meadow in Richmond on May 28th. Full list of dates below!

Pontiak Tour Dates
May 28 - Richmond, PA - Richmond Music Hall *
Sep. 1 - Victoria, BC - Capitol Ballroom #
Sep. 2 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom #
Sep. 3 - Nelson, BC - Spiritbar #
Sep. 4 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre #
Sep. 6 - Edmonton, AB - The Ranch Roadhouse #
Sep. 7 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre #
Sep. 8 - Winnipeg, MB - The Garrick #
Sep. 11 - Guelph, ON - Guelph Concert Theatre #
Sep. 12 - Ottawa, ON - Algonquin Commons Theatre #
Sep. 13 - Montreal, QC - MTelus #
Sep. 14 - Quebec City, QC - Theatre Imperial #
Sep. 16 - Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom #

* w/ Dead Meadow
# w/ Sleep