CO_NTRY—PRESS-PHOTO-2017-007-(PHOTO-BY-MARINA-CORSILLO)

Montreal duo CO/NTRY releasing new LP (listen to "Cash Out"), touring to SXSW

CO_NTRY---PRESS-PHOTO-2017-007-(PHOTO-BY-MARINA-CORSILLO)

Fronted by artist, cult restauranteur and Montreal gadabout Beaver Shepard, duo CO/NRTY (pronounced “Country,” their original name) make what they used to call “sleaze-wave” — a melty version of pop that owes a little to early-’80s Cure. Following 2014’s Failure, CO/NTRY are set to release their second album, Cell Phone 1, which will be out in April via Fantôme Records. We’ve got the premiere of “Cash Out” from the LP which you can stream, and read Beaver’s account of the dark night that inspired the song, below.

CO/NTRY’s live shows are infamously wild. They played BrooklynVegan’s showcase at M for Montreal where guitarist/keyboardist David Whitten played in bondage gear and basically nothing else (one of their tamer performances). They’ll be going on tour on their way to SXSW, and will stop in NYC on March 13 at Trans-Pecos with Hnry Flwr. Tickets are on sale now.

All tour dates, along with LP cover art and tracklist, below.

Beaver Shepard on “Cash Out”:

I spent a year of my life opening a restaurant with these people. After being physically and mentally abused, I broke down and just quit after working 100 hours a week for half a year. Leaving the restaurant that day, I was at the lowest of the low. I’d never felt lower. Later that night, I just remember being at The Silver Door, now Drones Club. I had an intense moment where I did a strange mix of stuff. This guy gave me a drug that I never heard of before, I think it was called 2C-X or something, and he said, “we know its good, but it’s pretty new.” I took that and mixed it with oxycontin and a bunch of ketamine and some MDMA as well. Everyone left the room to go to the rooftop, except me. I just stayed there on the couch and finished my last bump of K. I felt what I thought was the sensation of dying. All of the memories were just taken from my head, like someone was reaching down from above and pulling them out like stretching a big wad of glue. I felt all of these souls around me and I started seeing so many faces flashing through my mind, all these memories, ones that I thought were gone, memories from childhood, going to cooking school… that went on for almost 10 minutes, then I thought I was dead. It was really warm, a soothing sensation, one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I thought, if this is how it’s going to be, I’m ok with it. This would be a nice way to die. It was the first time I came to terms with my own death. Now Im excited to die and I’m excited to get to the next level. Whenever/if that moment comes.

country-lp

CO/NTRY – CELL PHONE 1 – TRACKLISTING
01. So Get A Baby
02. Cash Out
03. Beyond Belief
04. Second Life
05. Too Much
06. Living In A Body
07. Gold Standard
08. Who Cares

CO/NTRY – 2017 TOUR DATES
17/03/08 – Monkey House – Winooski, VT – USA – w/ Burt Mulder
17/03/09 – Café Nine – New Haven, CT – USA – w/ Spectral Fang / Dr Martino
17/03/10 – AS220 – Providence, RI – USA – w/ Triangle Forest
17/03/11 – Carinae Household – Northamptom, MA
17/03/12 – Great Scott – Boston, MA – USA – w/ Sports Coach
17/03/13 – Trans-Pecos – Brooklyn, NY – USA – w/ HNRY FLWR
17/03/17 – SXSW – Swan Dive – Pop Montreal Showcase – 1am – Austin, TX – USA – w/ Hoan + Best Fern, Forever, She Devils, Samito
17/03/20 – MOTR – Cincinnati, OH – USA
17/03/22 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON – Canada – w/ Billy Moon + Fresh Snow + Whoop-szo
17/04/13 – Fairmount Theater – Album Launch – Montreal, QC – Canada
17/05/13 – Distortion Festival – Matahari Loft – Montreal, QC – Canada – w/ We Are Wolves, Avec Le Soleil Sortant de Sa Bouche