Austin’s Font have today announced their debut album, Strange Burden, which is set to be released July 12th via Acrophase Records, the album is set to showcase the band’s ability to capture the raw energy of their live performances while also refining their music and creating a unique blend of genres with a vibrant and almost pop-art sensibility. Accompanying the announcement, the five-piece have also unveiled the album’s lead single, ‘Hey Kelulé’.
The band drew inspiration from Talking Heads’ writing process with Brian Eno for Remain in Light when creating Strange Burden – Eno and Byrne would build upon the rhythm section’s grooves and loops, the band followed a similar approach. The breakthrough moment for this method is seen in ‘Hey Kekulé,’ the energetic and captivating lead single from Strange Burden. This marked a significant progression for the band, showcasing their ability to thrive and evolve as a cohesive unit.
Drawing inspiration from Cormac McCarthy’s essay “The Kekulé Problem” which focuses on a German chemist: “Hey Kekulé” stands out as the most explicit and referential song reflecting Waddill’s interests as a lyricist and performer. However, Waddill is prompt to provide further clarification:
As with the other songs on the record, there is no intentional meaning to the symbols, references, phrases, and images I use. I’m not trying to ‘say’ anything about the subconscious – I’m only trying to channel it. And a big reason why I could do that here was because it was one of the first songs where the 5-part machine of the band really began to whir – I had a hand in almost none of the music for the song. The beat, the piano part, all of it came from the band, and because it was a truly foreign container, I could simply release and respond.
In the music video of the song, directed by both Font and Blake Nelson, Waddill can be seen twitching and gesticulating on a platform. A rotating light creates a mesmerising effect as it casts his moving shadow against the wall. References are as disparate as Radiohead’s video for ‘Lotus Flower,’ video artist Joan Jonas, the Austin-based experimental dance legend Deborah Hay, and Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
Leading up to the album’s release, Font will support Yard Act across the West Coast. Dates are as follows:
Thu. May 30 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Fri. May 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
Sat. June 1 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
Mon. June 3 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
Tue. June 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Thu. June 6 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. June 7 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sat. June 8 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
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