Since releasing his last album, 2021's Polaris Prize-winning Parallel World, Cadence Weapon has accomplished a lot: publishing a book (and announcing another one), opening a vintage clothing business, advocating for change within the live music industry (and becoming something of a savant about its viability), playing a lot of shows — and that's all in addition to generally surviving in these uncertain times. What's more is that he's back with a new album, led by the single "Press Eject," and a run of North American tour dates.
ROLLERCOASTER arrives April 19 via MNRK. The LP sees artist born Rollie Pemberton turn his deft social commentary to the internet, inspired by a February 2022 trip to Los Angeles where he noted a sense of optimization in every human interaction. “I was observing parallels between the fraudulence of certain institutions and the fake news of the internet,” the rapper said in a press release. “With bots and people being willfully false for profit, the internet has led to a total obfuscation of reality.”
There are featured appearances from Bartees Strange, Austra and myst milano., as well as a huge cast of additional producers, including Jacques Greene, Harrison, Grandtheft, Loraine James, Martyn Bootyspoon, Casey MQ, Cecile Believe, Machinedrum, and Taydex and Wesley Singerman. ROLLERCOASTER leans on electro-inspired hyperpop production to replicate the sensory overload of being online, with acoustic interludes by Strange breaking up the discord.
The glitchy lead single "Press Eject," produced by Grandtheft, postures itself as a techno-indebted, rebellious call-to-arms against the motions of the game that is gaining attention online, rapping about not being able to afford rent on the internet or on Earth. “I wanted to write an anthem for people who are fed up with the way the Internet has become,” Pemberton explained. “I want to remind people that there are platforms that have come and gone, because they’re vulnerable if we aren’t on them. I’m encouraging everyone to be more empowered and thoughtful about how we engage with social media. Maybe we can create a better situation for ourselves.”
Give that a listen below, where you'll also find the album tracklist and Cadence Weapon's tour itinerary, which currently includes Canadian shows in Hamilton, Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal this spring.
ROLLERCOASTER:
1. Cadence £∞™.mp3
2. Press Eject
3. Exceptional
4. My Computer
5. Blue Screen
6. Lexicon
7. YASTM.m4a
8. EFT
9. Bots
10. Sting
11. Shadowbanned (feat. myst milano.)
12. You Are Special to Me (feat. Bartees Strange)
13. Alarms (feat. Austra)
14. tl;dr
Cadence Weapon 2024 Tour Dates:
03/01 San Francisco, CA - Noise Pop
04/19 Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks
04/20 Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
05/01 Quebec City, QC - Pantoum
05/02 Montreal, QC - Ausgang Plaza
05/03 Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Zone One
05/15 Portland, OR - Holocene
05/16 Seattle, WA - Barboza