Doldrums signs to Sub Pop, releasing new album in April; Moon King have a new LP coming too (streams ++ tour dates)

January 13, 2015

by Bill Pearis

photo:::Doldrums @ Bowery Ballroom, June 2014 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Doldrums, aka Toronto’s Airick Woodhead, has signed with Sub Pop who will release his new album, The Air Conditioned Nightmare, on April 7. Having started in 2011 or so as a fairly avant-garde one-man-band, Woodhead quickly brought more form to his music and drafted his brother Daniel (of Moon King) into the live setup. By the time of his debut album, 2013’s Lesser Evil, pop hooks were incorporated into singles like the terrific “Anomaly.” That song seems to be the jumping point for the new album which is crammed with inventive arrangements and memorable choruses. It’s also custom-built for the dancefloor, all while retaining his off-kilter perspective on things.

The first song to be shared is album-opener “HOTFOOT,” which is a literal banger — the main hook of the song is like a pogoing jackhammer and a car alarm all in one. In a good way, maybe owing just a bit to mid-’90s electronica. You can stream it and check out the album art and tracklist, below. Doldrums was on tour last fall with EMA. No word on 2015 dates just yet.

Speaking of Moon King, they just announced that their new album, Secret Life, will be out April 14 via Last Gang. The LP’s first single is “Roswell,” a fine example of their pulsating dream pop — stream it below. Moon King toured as a part of Doldrums when they opened for Owen Pallett last year. No North American dates for them either, but they will be in Europe with Alvvays soon, and those dates are listed below.

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Doldrums – The Air Conditioned Nightmare tracklist
01 Hotfoot
02 Blow Away
03 Funeral for Lightning
04 We Awake
05 Video Hostage
06 Loops
07 iDeath
08 My Friend Simjen
09 Industry City
10 Closer 2 U

Moon King – Secret Life tracklist
01. Roswell
02. Secret Life
03. Impossible
04. Come Back
05. Hexe
06. Threads
07. Apocalypse
08. Golden Age
09. Medicine

Moon King – 2015 Tour Dates
Jan 21 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute *
Jan 22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club *
Jan 23 – Newcastle, UK @ Think Tank *
Jan 24 – Glasgow, Scotland @ King Tuts *
Jan 26 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega *
Jan 27 – Birmingham @ Hare & Hounds *
Jan 28 – London, UK @ Scala *
Jan 30 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy 2 *
Jan 31 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla *
Feb 2 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix *
Feb 5 – Oslo, Norway @ John Dee *
Feb 6 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Strand *
Feb 7 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Beta *
Feb 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow exil *
Feb 10 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine Am Berghain *
Feb 12 – Vienna, Austria @ B72 *
Feb 13 – Milan, Italy @ Lo Fi *
Feb 14 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F *