SHEER MAG REVEAL NEW SINGLE "THE KILLER"
A DISTANT CALL OUT THIS FRIDAY ON WILSUNS RC
NORTH AMERICAN FALL TOUR KICKS OFF THIS MONTH
Press Photo By Marie Lin
SHEER MAG have given us one last glimpse into their impending new album A Distant Call which sees its release this Friday via Wilsuns RC. Today they hit with "The Killer". Of the single, front woman Tina Halladay explains, "There are many killers out there. The Killer is a liar with a strangle hold on the world. The Killer is a war criminal the corrupt of society have produced and protected. The Killer spends his life covering up atrocities and defending right-wing dictatorships. The Killer stifles accountability and truth. We want to know, when does The Killer die?"
SHEER MAG are still writing about surviving our current hellscape, but this time around, the politics get extra-personal. It's heavy power-pop so sleek it gleams. The album verges on being a concept piece, and the protagonist resembles Halladay herself. The songs document a particularly alienating time in her life when she was laid off from a job. Broke and newly single, her father (with whom she had a fraught relationship) passed away, leaving her with more wounds than felt possible to heal.
A Distant Call makes an argument for socialism on an anecdotal level. We're talking about how late capitalism alienates and commodifies whatever is in its path without using the term 'late capitalism.'" Matt Palmer (guitar / lyrics) and Halladay's new approach to lyricism extended to the recording process, too. Once the Seely brothers, Hart (bass) and Kyle (lead guitar) laid down the tracks, Halladay joined forces to record with acclaimed producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange) as opposed to on an 8-track, which was the band's preferred method on previous releases.
SHEER MAG's dizzying rise initiated in 2014, when the Philadelphia band self-released the first of three 7-inches and started playing the Northeastern DIY circuit. Ironically, the music stood apart because it sounded so familiar. Indebted to '70s arena rock, power-pop, and proto-metal, SHEER MAG's songs reminded a lot of us of the music we grew up with, but maybe couldn't relate to because it was big, brash, and unapologetically macho. SHEER MAG reclaimed some of that energy without perpetuating the toxicity. On their debut album, Need to Feel Your Love (2017), the band surveyed their contemporary political landscape through the lens of history. The band transported themselves back to the 1969 Stonewall Riots, denounced redlining practices that undermine the popular vote, and paid homage to White Rose activist Sophie Scholl. Those songs stick today as hook-laden, rallying cries.
SHEER MAG kick off an extensive North American tour at the end of this month. Check below for a full list of dates and here for pre-order info.
SHEER MAG
A DISTANT CALL
WILSUNS RC
AUGUST 23, 2019
1. Steel Sharpens Steel
3. Unfound Manifest
4. Silver Line
6. Cold Sword
7. Chopping Block
8. The Right Stuff
9. The Killer
10. Keep On Runnin
SHEER MAG LIVE DATES:
08/30: Kingston, NY - BSP Kingston
08/31: Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
09/01: Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
09/03: Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
09/04: Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx
09/05: Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
09/06: Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
09/07: Madison, WI - The Terrace at UW-Madison
09/08: Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
09/09: Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
09/10: Omaha, NE - The Slowdown
09/12: Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
09/13: Salt Lake City, UT - Diabolical Records
09/14: Boise, ID - The Olympic
09/16: Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore
09/17: Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
09/18: Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
09/20: Oakland, CA - The New Parish
09/21: San Jose, CA - The Ritz
09/22: Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
09/24: Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
09/26: Austin, TX - Barracuda
09/27: San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
09/28: Houston, TX - The Satellite
09/29: New Orleans, LA - Santo's
10/01: Birmingham, AL - Saturn
10/02: Atlanta, GA - 529 Club
10/03: Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
10/04: Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall
10/05: Washington, DC - The Black Cat
10/09: Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere
10/10: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10/11: Boston, MA - The Sinclair
10/25: Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
10/26: Aarhus, DEN - Tape
10/27: Copenhagen, DEN - Loppen
10/29: Hamburg, DE - Molotow
10/30: Berlin, DE - Zukunft am Ostkreuz
11/02: London, UK - Mirrors Festival
11/04: Manchester, UK - Yes
11/05: Dublin, IR - Grand Social
11/06: Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
11/08: Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City 2019
11/09: Benidorm, ESP - Primavera 20th Aniv, Weekender
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