Lithics give the "Specs" in video from new LP, touring with Stephen Malkmus

April 12, 2018

Portland combo Lithics will release their second album, Mating Surfaces, on May 25 via Kill Rock Stars. There are tons of bands pulling influence from late-’70s/early-’80s post-punk, but few do it with such panache, and genuine detached cool as Lithics. “Specs,” from the new album, is a good example of what they do so well, dryly singing “get those specs” over a driving bassline and careening guitar hook. Is this about corporate cubicle life? No! The band explain while talking about the song’s video which they directed themselves:

On a grey winter morning Lithics used a handheld video camera to shoot scenes of themselves pretending to play music, walking around a reservoir, blowing their noses etc, and synced it to the song Specs. It was easy, literally anyone could have done it. Specs, a song loosely about the presumptuous desire to know the details about a stranger’s personal life, is the second single from their new record Mating Surfaces, out May 25th on Kill Rock Stars!

Like a lot of things, the band are upstaged in the “Specs” video by a cat cameo. The video premieres in this post and you can watch that, and listen to another song off the album, below.

You can catch Lithics on tour with fellow Portlanders Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks beginning in June, including both sold-out Brooklyn shows at Music Music Hall of Williamsburg. They’ve got some headline shows along the way, too, and updated dates are listed below.

Lithics – Mating Surfaces tracklist:
1. Excuse Generator
2. Still Forms
3. When Will I Die
4. Specs
5. Boyce
6. Glass of Water
7. Be Nice Alone
8. Flat Rock
9. Edible Door
10. Home
11. Cheryl
12. Dancing Guy
about

Lithics – 2018 Tour Dates
5/26 Portland, OR @ The Spare Room (Album Release Show)
5/29 Spokane, WA @ Baby Bar
5/31 Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
6/01 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club* (SOLD OUT)
6/02 Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo Back Room* (SOLD OUT)
6/03 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*
6/05 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups* (SOLD OUT)
6/06 Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater*
6/07 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop*
6/08 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick*
6/09 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace* (SOLD OUT)
6/11 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount*
6/12 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair* (SOLD OUT)
6/13 Jamaica Plain, MA @ Deep Thoughts
6/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg* (SOLD OUT)
6/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg* (SOLD OUT)
6/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts*
6/17 Washington DC @ Black Cat*
6/19 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle*
6/20 Athens, GA @ The Georgia Theatre*
6/21 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge*
6/22 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar*
6/23 Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater*
6/24 St. Louis, MO @ Foam
6/26 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake