While we haven't heard from Sebadoh in ages, the indie-rock lifers have announced a new studio album, marking their first full-length in six years. The album is called Act Surprised, and it will arrive on May 24 via Dangerbird Records.
The record follows Sebadoh's Defend Yourself, which arrived back in 2013. To give us an idea what to expect from the follow-up effort, Lou Barlow and co. have shared the new track "celebrate the void," which, like all the song titles, is purposely lowercased.
"The first line of this song: 'I get the feeling you don't feel me' is pretty good. It could be a line in an Ariana Grande song, I like it," said Barlow in a statement. "I followed it from there through some general complaints about a composite character in my life, someone I could never crack. Sometimes the walls are too high. If you think about it, the resistance was always there, even in the very beginning. What to do? Pick endlessly at the seams? Replay moments in my head looking for a way to explain it all? No, stop, there is no one answer and that's OK...Celebrate the void."
You can check out "celebrate the void" below via a newly shared video.
The new album was conceived by a Sebadoh lineup that included Barlow, Jason Loewenstein and Bob D'Amico. The trio recorded the LP with producer/sound engineer Justin Pizzoferatto.
As a press release explains, "When Barlow recently moved back to his home state of Massachusetts following a series of personal changes, he pressed the restart button and, in time, felt the incentive to reach out to Jason and Bob again to reunite and start work on a new album. The trio convened and began recording in their original stomping grounds in western Massachusetts where they first formed back in 1988."
In addition to the new album announcement, Sebadoh have announced an extensive North American tour. Kicking off in May it will hit up a pile of U.S. cities, as well as make Canadian stops in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. You can see the full schedule below.
Act Surprised:
1. phantom
2. celebrate the void
3. follow the breath
4. medicate
5. see-saw
6. vacation
7. stunned
8. fool
9. raging river
10. sunshine
11. act surprised
12. battery
13. belief
14. leap year
15. Reykjavik
Tour dates:
05/22 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
05/23 Columbus, OH - Rumba Café
05/24 Evanston, IL - Space
05/25 Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
05/26 Omaha, NE - Reverb
05/28 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
05/29 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
05/31 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
06/01 Vancouver, BC - Fox Caberet
06/02 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
06/05 San Francisco, CA - Slims
06/06 Los Angeles, CA - Roxy
06/07 San Diego, CA - Casbah
06/08 Tustin, CA - Marty's on Newport
06/09 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
06/10 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
06/12 Austin, TX - Parish
06/13 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (upstairs)
06/15 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
06/16 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06/21 Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts Center
06/22 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
07/11 Montreal, QC - Ritz *
07/12 Toronto, ON - Horsehoe Tavern *
07/13 Detroit, MI - Shelter * 07/14 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
07/16 Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theatre *
07/17 St. Louis, MO - The Ready Room *
07/18 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
07/19 Birmingham, AL - Saturn *
07/20 Charlotte, NC - The Underground *
07/22 Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall *
07/23 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
07/24 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
07/26 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
07/27 Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes *
* with Eleanor Friedberger
The record follows Sebadoh's Defend Yourself, which arrived back in 2013. To give us an idea what to expect from the follow-up effort, Lou Barlow and co. have shared the new track "celebrate the void," which, like all the song titles, is purposely lowercased.
"The first line of this song: 'I get the feeling you don't feel me' is pretty good. It could be a line in an Ariana Grande song, I like it," said Barlow in a statement. "I followed it from there through some general complaints about a composite character in my life, someone I could never crack. Sometimes the walls are too high. If you think about it, the resistance was always there, even in the very beginning. What to do? Pick endlessly at the seams? Replay moments in my head looking for a way to explain it all? No, stop, there is no one answer and that's OK...Celebrate the void."
You can check out "celebrate the void" below via a newly shared video.
The new album was conceived by a Sebadoh lineup that included Barlow, Jason Loewenstein and Bob D'Amico. The trio recorded the LP with producer/sound engineer Justin Pizzoferatto.
As a press release explains, "When Barlow recently moved back to his home state of Massachusetts following a series of personal changes, he pressed the restart button and, in time, felt the incentive to reach out to Jason and Bob again to reunite and start work on a new album. The trio convened and began recording in their original stomping grounds in western Massachusetts where they first formed back in 1988."
In addition to the new album announcement, Sebadoh have announced an extensive North American tour. Kicking off in May it will hit up a pile of U.S. cities, as well as make Canadian stops in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. You can see the full schedule below.
Act Surprised:
1. phantom
2. celebrate the void
3. follow the breath
4. medicate
5. see-saw
6. vacation
7. stunned
8. fool
9. raging river
10. sunshine
11. act surprised
12. battery
13. belief
14. leap year
15. Reykjavik
Tour dates:
05/22 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
05/23 Columbus, OH - Rumba Café
05/24 Evanston, IL - Space
05/25 Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
05/26 Omaha, NE - Reverb
05/28 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
05/29 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
05/31 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
06/01 Vancouver, BC - Fox Caberet
06/02 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
06/05 San Francisco, CA - Slims
06/06 Los Angeles, CA - Roxy
06/07 San Diego, CA - Casbah
06/08 Tustin, CA - Marty's on Newport
06/09 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
06/10 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
06/12 Austin, TX - Parish
06/13 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (upstairs)
06/15 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
06/16 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06/21 Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts Center
06/22 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
07/11 Montreal, QC - Ritz *
07/12 Toronto, ON - Horsehoe Tavern *
07/13 Detroit, MI - Shelter * 07/14 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
07/16 Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theatre *
07/17 St. Louis, MO - The Ready Room *
07/18 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
07/19 Birmingham, AL - Saturn *
07/20 Charlotte, NC - The Underground *
07/22 Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall *
07/23 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
07/24 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
07/26 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
07/27 Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes *
* with Eleanor Friedberger