Toronto power pop trio Motorists have announced plans for their follow-up to 2021's Surrounded. They'll return on May 24 with Touched by the Stuff courtesy of We Are Time.
The album was recorded at Taurus Recording, engineered and mixed by Jesse Turnbull (DEAR-GOD, Klokwise), mastered by Mikey Young, and features vocals from Kritty Uranowski.
"Our first record essentially emerged in the rehearsal space," guitarist Craig Fahner said of the record in a release. "It was a simpler vibe of getting together with ideas and just seeing what happened. For this album, Matt and I wrote a lot more individually and brought more composed songs. We were really feeling that early '90s alt-rock on the radio sensibility, with sensitive power-pop that's made to sound hit-like and huge."
The band are previewing the effort today with lead single "Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind," written during Fahner's bout with COVID in summer 2022. The song arrives alongside a driving game designed by Fahner and Nora Liu.
"It's a hitting-the-road song about wanting to keep driving with no destination, but also feeling like you're lost in the desert," he explained in a release. "[Bassist Matt Learoyd] and I both sing the whole time, so it brings us together, and feels like a perfect statement of the Motorists sound."
Listen to "Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind" in the player below, where you can also find the album's tracklist.
Touched by the Stuff:
1. Decider
2. Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind
3. Call Control
4. Embers
5. L. O. W.
6. Barking at the Gates
7. Tall Tower
8. Forced Perspective
9. Back to the Queue
10. Sweet William
11. The Folded Plan
12. Light Against the Shade