LOWER DENS
The Competition out September 6, 2019 on Ribbon Music
On Tour this Fall with Of Monsters And Men
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Early praise for The Competition:
"First single "Young Republicans" is a genuine bop. It's an anthemic, smooth synthpop song that reminds me of what might've happened if New Order had come up in the streaming era." - Stereogum
"...their upcoming album and first in four years, The Competition, is shaping up to be their most powerful yet...and its urgency is heard in this gorgeous, nostalgically 1980s synthpop song, backed by the ethereal vocals of Baltimore R&B singer :3ION." - Baltimore Magazine
"["Young Republicans" is] a flashy visualization of the dark and urgent satire that lies beneath the song's energetic disco vibes." - The FADER
"Jana Hunter and Lower Dens are back with a rousing new jam, featuring arguably one of the best - and certainly one of the timeliest - choruses of the year." - Gorilla vs. Bear
"If Lower Dens's first two singles off their forthcoming fourth album The Competition are any indication, this new LP is going to be amazing. " - MTV
"The follow-up to 2015's Escape from Evil adds an urgency to the band's darker synth tones, a compositional reflection of the capitalism-spurred distress at the album's thematic core." - Consequence of Sound
Four years since their critically acclaimed album, Escape From Evil, Lower Dens recently announced their newest creation -- The Competition -- which will be released on Ribbon Music on September 6, 2019. Today, Lower Dens share a third taste of the album in the form of a glistening, synth-pop careen called "Galapagos."
Lower Dens also recently announced they will be hitting the road upon the album's release date supporting Of Monsters And Men in addition to three very special release shows in Los Angeles and Baltimore respectively. All dates are below.
The Competition is a pop album with a concept both emotionally and politically urgent. By design, competition is the driving force of modern capitalism, and the title is lead singer and songwriter Jana Hunter's (pronouns: they/them, him/his) term for a socio-psychological phenomenon this generates, a kind of psychosis that accelerates our insecurities and anxieties to the point of total overload, corroding our intimacies, our communities, and our senses of self. Hunter says, "The issues that have shaped my life, for better or for worse, have to do with coming from a family and a culture that totally bought into this competitive mindset. I was wild and in a lot of pain as a kid; home life was very bleak, and pop songs were a guaranteed escape to a mental space where beauty, wonder, and love were possible. I wanted to write songs that might have the potential to do that." Indeed, The Competition might be Hunter's most vulnerable, hook-filled album yet, a leftfield, resistance pop record that could only be released in 2019.
Watch the "Young Republicans" video HERE
Watch the "I Drive" video HERE
The Competition is available to pre-order now on limited pressing clear vinyl with exclusive Lower Dens enamel pin, CD, and digital download.
Tour dates - all dates opening for Of Monsters And Men except where noted:
08/31/19 Baltimore, MD @ Rituals *
09/01/19 Baltimore, MD @ Rituals *
09/04/19 Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/05/19 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
09/08/19 Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
09/10/19 Philadelphia, PA @ Metropolitan Opera House
09/11/19 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/13/19 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
09/14/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field
09/16/18 Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
09/17/19 Ogden, UT @ Ogden Twilight
09/19/19 Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
09/20/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *
09/22/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
09/24/19 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
09/26/19 Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
09/27/19 Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield
09/28/19 Vancouver, BC @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
10/19/19 Maspeth, NY @ Pitchfork Octfest ^
11/01/19 Houston, TX @ Axelrad Beer Garden *
11/02/19 Mexico City, MX @ RadioBosque Festival ^
* Lower Dens headline show
^ without Of Monsters And Men
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