Formerly the collaborative project of Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps, Wampire expanded to a five-person recording lineup for their sophomore album, Bazaar. That new blood, in addition to the aid of producer Jacob Portrait (Unknown Mortal Orchestra), translated into tracks like lead single “Wizard Staff”, which saw Wampire trade in some of its oddball aesthetic for a more nuanced sound. Today, the newly-minted quintet share another of the album’s nine tracks with “The Amazing Heart Attack”.
For this latest single, Wampire quickly abandon the alt country of “Wizard Staff” and recapture the rampant energy of early tracks like “The Hearse”. Even as they blaze along at 100 MPH, the band still manages to assmemble an interesting collection of sounds and concepts: glitchy post-punk guitars; the driving rhythms of early ’70s punk; bits of grunge and ’90s alt rock; and a sheen of saccharine psych pop. With true balance, the song simultaneously proves to be infectious, hyperactive, and a straight up, slow-burning rock ‘n’ roll jam.
Listen in below (via Entertainment Weekly).
Bazaar is due out October 7th via Polyvinyl. Pre-orders are now ongoing.
In support of the album, the band has announced its first-ever headlining tour. The jaunt kicks off later this week in their home state of Oregon and wraps up on November 8th in Boise, ID. Along the way, Montreal’s TOPS will serve as support. Consult the full schedule below.
Wampire 2014 Tour Dates:
09/12 – Salem, OR @ Level B
09/19 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *
09/20 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre *
09/21 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
09/23 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium * #
09/24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore * #
09/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre * #
09/26 – Pomona, CA @ The Glasshouse * #
09/27 – Solano Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern * #
09/29 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom * #
10/01 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre * #
10/02 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake %
10/03 – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge %
10/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry %
10/06 – Madison, WI @ The Frequency %
10/07 – St. Louis, MO @ Demo %
10/08 – Nashville, TN @ The End %
10/09 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
10/10 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean %
10/11 – Detroit, MI @ Jumbo’s %
10/12 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog %
10/14 – Toronto, ON @ Silver Dollar %
10/15 – Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange %
10/16 – Boston, MA @ The Church %
10/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right %
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy %
10/21-25 – New York, NY @ CMJ
10/27 – Washington, DC @ DC9 %
10/28 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room %
10/29 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 %
10/30 – Birmingham, AL @ Syndicate Lounge %
10/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Circle Bar %
11/01 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs %
11/03 – Dallas, TX @ City Tavern %
11/04 – Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain %
11/05 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace %
11/07 – Salt Lake City @ The Garage
11/08 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
* = w/ Temples
# = w/ Fever The Ghost
% = w/ TOPS
