On October 16th, Small Black will return with its new album, Best Blues, via Jagjaguwar. The LP follows 2013’s Limits of Desire and serves as the group’s third. It was written and recorded at the Brooklyn natives’ home studio over the course of 12 months and was mixed by Nicolas Vernhes (The War on Drugs, Deerhunter).
The 10-track effort is “about loss, the specific loss of precious people in our lives, but also the loss of memories and the difficult fight to preserve them,” according to a press release. The album artwork, seen above, shows a woman walking along the beach; it’s one of many “found photos” lead singer Josh Kolenik discovered after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast and flooded his family’s home on Long Island.
“I spent months trying to scan all these images and letters”, he says, “most covered with ocean dirt, and in doing so discovered what people often find in their family’s past: that they are a hell of a lot like those who’d come before.”
As a preview of Best Blues, the synthpop outfit’s revealed “Boys Life”. Encapsulating the record’s themes of memories and memorabilia, the charging track was made using part of an old demo Small Black had recovered during a jam session. Listen in below.
Best Blues Tracklist:
01. Personal Best
02. No One Wants It To Happen To You
03. Boys Life
04. The Closer I Look
05. Big Ideas, Pt. 2
06. Back at Belle’s
07. Between Leos
08. Checkpoints
09. Smoke Around The Bend
10. XX Century
In support of Best Blues, the band will embark on a North American tour beginning in October.
Small Black 2015 Tour Dates:
10/11 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
10/13 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/14 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/16 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
10/17 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
10/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
10/21 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
10/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
10/24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/26 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
10/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
10/28 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Back Bar
10/29 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
10/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/31 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
11/02 – Kansas City, MO @ The Tank Room
11/03 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
11/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
11/06 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/07 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory
11/08 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
11/10 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
11/11 – Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen
11/12 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
11/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
