More than 20 years into their existence, Deerhoof are still electrifying on stage and inventive in the studio. I experienced the former a couple weeks ago when they played a small club in my town the night after opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers at an arena. The room was packed and Deerhoof were on fire. Every member brought something powerful and unique to bear on the music: Satomi Matsuzaki’s unmistakable vocals and buzzing bass tone, Greg Saunier’s ridiculous drum battery, the twisted guitar interplay between John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez, all of it cohering into these unruly little avant-garde guitar-pop songs. They barely played any of their old classics, and they didn’t need to because their new material remains vibrant.

Consider “Your Dystopic Creation Doesn’t Fear You,” the latest single from Mountain Moves (one of five new Deerhoof-associated LPs this year) as well as this week’s entry in the Adult Swim Singles Program. It finds the quartet teaming with rapper, comedian, and TV personality Awkwafina, but it’s not a typical rap song. The track begins with bluesy classic rock guitar before segueing into a funky dance rock verse spotlighting Awkwafina. Then it morphs into a gorgeous pop chorus toggling between Matsuzaki’s understated melodies and some absolutely ripping guitar melodies. There are a few more twists and turns along the way, all of them delightful, and I invite you to experience them below.

Here’s what Deerhoof have to say about the song:

“In the span of 10 short days last April, Prince passed away, and Bill Clinton shouted down a small group of black women who dared question the morality of 90s legislation with which he ushered in the era of unprecedented mass incarceration that continues to this day. Something about the random concurrence of Prince’s glowing obituaries and Clinton’s elitist intimidation tactics seemed to point at an absurd contradiction at the heart of America’s treatment of its citizens of color. Fortunately a favorite writer, The Guardian’s great Steven W. Thrasher, helped make sense of these events in his crucial commentaries: “Prince broke all the rules about what black American men should be” and “How dare Bill Clinton shout over Black Lives Matter protesters?“

Now over a year has passed. Many Americans, suddenly in search of strategies for surviving state repression, are turning away from witless neoliberal politicians who exploit fear to amass more power for themselves, and towards those vulnerable communities who have responded to a history of violence not with submission, but with humor, creativity, anger, and love. The song we are debuting today grew out of these observations. Strictly speaking it is not the first Awkwafina-Deerhoof collaboration, as both Satomi and Greg have guested on “My Vag” onstage. But this call-and-response is our first co-composition. Enjoy!”

Tour Dates:
08/18 Sudbury, ON @ Up Here Fest at the Fuse Niteclub
08/19 Ottawa, ON @ Arboretum Festival at RIDEAU PINES FARM
08/20 Toronto, ON @ Wavelength Music Festival
08/25 Praha, CZ @ Underdogs’ Ballroom & Bar
08/26 Storkow, DE @ Alinæ Lumr Festival
08/27 Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel Sommerfest
08/28 Darmstadt, DE @ Oetinger Villa
08/30 Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
08/31 Opwijk, BE @ Nosta
09/02 Aarhus, DK @ UJazz Festival
09/03 Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
09/04 London, UK @ Village Underground
09/05 Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Music Hall – sold out
09/15 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios +*
09/16 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe +*
09/17 Bellingham, WA @ The Wild Buffalo +*
09/18 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios +*
09/19 Eugene, OR @ The Hi Fi Lounge +*
09/21 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall +*
09/22 Los Angeles, CA @ Terragram Ballroom +*
09/23 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent +*
09/24 Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad +*
09/26 Austin, TX @ Antone’s =+
09/27 Houston, TX @ Walter’s =+$
09/28 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada =+
09/29 Kansas City, MO @ Outer Reaches Fest @ Record Bar ^
09/30 St Louis, MO @ The Ready Room +^
10/01 Chicago, IL @ EB25 series @ Empty Bottle #^
10/03 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme #^
10/04 Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick #^
10/05 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls #^
10/06 Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt #^
10/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Villain ^

* w/ Mayya and the Revolutionary Hell Yeah!
+ w/ Christina Schneider’s Genius Grant
= w/ Thor And Friends
$ w/ Rose Ette
^ w/ Lily on Horn Horse
# w/ Sad13

Mountain Moves is out 9/8 via Joyful Noise. Pre-order it here.