Happy holidays! Sleater-Kinney have a present for you.
The fab trio are back with “Surface Envy” – the second track from their forthcoming studio album “No Cities to Love” – and dammit, this song is good. I was a little mixed on “Bury Our Friends,” but my faith has been restored with this full-on rock assault. Corin Tucker's howling vocals are in fine form, and that Carrie Brownstein guitar riff just stabbed me in the eye. Give it up, they've still got it.
“Surface Envy” (which you can stream below) was unleashed at the end of the group's Reddit AMA earlier today, during which a few other interesting tidbits were revealed:
1. Brownstein's “Portlandia” co-star Fred Armisen offered to be their roadie. (Hehe.)
2. They were going for an “edgy immediacy” with “No Cities'” sound.
3. They've always wanted to cover Devo.
4. Drummer Janet Weiss is the band's “setlist guru.”
5. The band's reunion may or may not be a “blatant attempt to catch Trey Anastasio's eye and finally fulfill Carrie's dream of opening for Phish.”
6. The band has “no plans for the distant future” – i.e. beyond their “No Cities” collaboration.
Listen to “Surface Envy” below (scroll further down for tour dates), then spend the rest of the night revisiting “The Woods.” That album is awesome.
“No Cities to Love” comes out January 20.
Tour dates:
02-08-15 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory – Spokane
02-09-15 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory – Boise
02-10-15 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
02-12-15 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
02-13-15 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
02-14-15 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
02-15-15 Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
02-17-15 Chicago, IL @ Riviera
02-22-15 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
02-24-15 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02-25-15 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02-26-15 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
02-28-15 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
03-01-15 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
03-18-15 Berlin, Germany @ Postbahnhof
03-19-15 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Paradiso
03-20-15 Paris, France @ Cigale
03-21-15 Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix
03-23-15 London, UK @ Roundhouse
03-24-15 Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
03-25-15 Glasgow, UK @ O2 ABC
03-26-15 Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street