The Armed have announced that they’ll release a new album, Ultrapop, on April 16 via Sargent House. Co-produced by the band’s own Dan Greene in collaboration with Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), and “executive produced” by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, Ultrapop will be their first release for that label.
The album will include include guest appearances by Mark lanegan (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Screaming Trees) and Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age, ex-A Perfect Circle).
The band has released the first single, “All Futures,” via the below live music video. The clip marks the first time the band’s member line-up have been explicitly revealed.
A studio recording of the song is also available via all DSPs.
Says Greene of Ultrapop:
“[C]rafting vital art means presenting the audience with new and intriguing tensions-sonically, visually, conceptually. Over time and through use, those tensions become less novel and effective-and they become expectations. The concept of ‘subgenre’ becomes almost the antithesis of vitality in art-itself a fetishization of expectation. Ultrapop seeks, in earnest, to create a truly new listener experience. It is an open rebellion against the culture of expectation in “heavy” music. It is a joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listener experience possible. It’s the harshest, most beautiful, most hideous thing we could make. “
Additionally, the band has announced European tour dates for the fall, assuming anyone is actually able to tour in the fall. You can get those at the bottom of this post.
The Armed Ultrapop Lineup
Jonni Randall – Vocals + Bass
Chris Slorach – Vocals + Guitar
Dan Greene – Guitar + Vocals
Adam Vallely – Guitar + Vocals
Dan Stolarski – Guitar + Vocals
Clark Huge – Synthesizers
Urian Hackney – Drums
Ben Koller – Drums
Cara Drolshagen – Vocals
EU Tour Dates
10/09/21 – Bristol, England – The Exchange
10/10/21 – Birmingham, England – Dead Wax
10/11/21 – Dublin, Ireland – Whelan’s
10/12/21 – Manchester, England – YES
10/13/21 – Glasgow, Scotland – Temple of Boom
10/14/21 – Leeds, England – Temple Of Boom
10/15/21 – London, England – MOTH Club
10/16/21- Brighton, England – The Green Door Store
10/18 /21 – Antwerp, Belgium – TRIX
10/19/21 – Reims, France – La Cartonnerie
10/20/21 – Lorient, France – I’Hydrophone
10/21/21 – Nantes, France – Stereolux
10/22/21 – Rouen, France – Le 106
10/23/21 – Paris. France – La Boule Noire
Ultrapop Tracklisting
- “Ultrapop”
- “All Futures”
- “Masunaga Vapors”
- “A Life So Wonderful”
- “An Iteration”
- “Big Shell”
- “Average Death”
- “Faith In Medication”
- “Where Man Knows Want”
- “Real Folk Blues”
- “Bad Selection”
- “The Music Becomes a Skull” (ft. Mark Lanegan)
