John Nolan (Taking Back Sunday) goes full tech-thriller in "Do You Remember" video
Taking Back Sunday guitarist/co-vocalist and Straylight Run frontman John Nolan is gearing up to release a new solo album, Abendigo, and this one’s shaping up to be a lot different than his last solo LP, 2015’s folk rock-inspired Sad Strange Beautiful Dream. Lead single “Do You Remember” sees John mixing cathartic post-hardcore and brainy electronic art rock in a way that musically recalls Straylight Run’s 2005 classic “Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)” but is lyrically relevant today. John says the song “addresses our complete inability to process tragedies like mass shootings and find any kind of meaningful solutions” and that he “wanted to tap into the feeling of existential dread that a lot of us have living in a place where horrific tragedies take place on a regular basis and are essentially shrugged off.”
John has now given “Do You Remember” the video treatment, which sets the song to a psychological tech thriller with some strong hints of Mr. Robot (and maybe a little Black Mirror). The video was made by Bobo Touch, aka Brian Bonz and Mike Rizzo, and they both star in it alongside Nolan himself, Alyssa Burgos, and others. John tells us, “I’ve known Brian Bonz and Mike Rizzo for a long time. I’m a big fan of them as artists and people. When it was time to make a video for ‘Do You Remember’ I immediately thought of them to write and direct it. I wanted a unique story with a dark edge to it and that’s exactly what they created.” The video makes its premiere below.
The new album comes out November 2 via Collective Confusion Records (pre-order), and John will begin a full-band tour a few days later. The tour’s got different openers in every city, including Bob Nanna (Braid, Hey Mercedes, etc) in Chicago, Sammi Lanzetta in Richmond, Young Statues in Philly, and more.
The Brooklyn and Boston shows are both with Destry, the current project of John’s sister and former Straylight Run co-singer Michelle DaRosa. If she’s there, will they do a Straylight Run song or two together? The Brooklyn show happens November 9 at Union Pool, also with Heavy Vessel (members of Thursday, From Autumn to Ashes, Primitive Weapons) on the bill. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.
In related news, Taking Back Sunday just announced a 2019 20th anniversary tour, which will see them performing their first three albums in full. Before that, TBS will play their annual holiday shows at NJ’s Starland Ballroom in December.
Tracklist
1. Do You Remember?
2. Over Before It Begins
3. Half A Block To Go
4. Smiling And Alive
5. Outside Of This Tragedy
6. How Much Difference Does It Make?
7. Anything You Want
8. Without You/Nothing Is Over
John Nolan — 2018 Tour Dates
11/06 – Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse w/ Never Home
11/07 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall w/ Sammi Lanzetta
11/09 – New York, NY – Union Pool w/ Heavy Vessel, Destry
11/10 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd w/ Silent Old Mtns
11/11 – Boston, MA – Great Scott w/ Nemes, Destry
11/12 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy w/ Young Statues
11/14 – Cleveland, OH – HOB Cambridge Room w/ Madeline Finn
11/15 – Detroit, MI – Underground @ Dime w/ SundaysAlwaysCalling
11/16 – Chicago, IL – SubT Downstairs w/ Bob Nanna
11/18 – Kansas City, MO – Riot Room w/ Rae Fitzgerald
11/19 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive w/ Andy Thomas’ Dust Heart, Ian Mahan
11/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court w/ The People’s Thieves
11/23 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre Lounge w/ Question Tuesday, The Macks
11/25 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill w/ Static And Surrender, Zachary Blizzard
11/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe (opener TBA)
11/27 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar w/ There Is Danger
11/28 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad (opener TBA)
11/30 – Dallas, TX – Three Links Deep Ellum (opener TBA)
