Trans Am come from the days of OG post-rock. Post-rock in the early ’90s wasn’t about playing “epic” (read: predictable) instrumental rock. No, it was about exploring vastly different sounds and improvisations within a single song — also it was usually released on Thrill Jockey, and John McEntire probably showed up at some point to do something. Those days are long gone, but Trans Am have kept playing and going wherever their musical inspirations take them, which has led to some extremely rhythmic and propulsive music. Still, their upcoming album Volume X might be the most pop-oriented thing the band has done. Album track “I’ll Never” is a fragile slow burner, filled with the band’s vocoder-inflected vocals and romantic synths, but that’s not the version we have today. This alternate take shows just how much the band can change their sound, speeding it up to the pace of Jesus And Mary Chain-style bubblegum-noise filled with pounding drums, heavy distortion, and a sweeter vocal take. Listen below and check them out on tour.

Trans Am:
04/24 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (Stumpfest)
05/22 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
05/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory
05/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
05/25 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
05/27 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
05/28 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
05/29 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
05/30 – Houston, TX @ Rudyard’s Pub
05/31 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
06/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
06/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
06/04 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Volume X is out 5/20 via Thrill Jockey.