Les Savy Fav Announce First New Album In 14 Years
The unpredictable Brooklyn art-punk veterans Les Savy Fav have been on the mostly-inactive list for a very long time, but they’re back now. Les Savy Fav didn’t break up after the release of their last album, 2010’s Root For Ruin, and they’ve continued to play the occasional live show in recent years. But they’re all grown-ups with jobs and responsibilities; bassist Syd Butler and guitarist Seth Jabour have been in the Late Night With Seth Meyers house band since the show started a decade ago. But now, Les Savy Fav have announced their first new album in 14 years.
A few weeks ago, Les Savy Fav shared “Legendary Tippers,” their first new song since the release of Root For Ruin. As it turns out, that was the first taste of OUI, the new studio album that the band will release this spring. In a press release, the wildly entertaining singer Tim Harrington says, “When we finished our last record, there was a sense that if we were going to do more, we wanted to do something more ambitious. I think it took us a while to even get in a space where that was possible.”
You can definitely hear ambition at work in Les Savy Fav’s new single “Guzzle Blood,” the opening track from OUI. It’s an urgent, intense rocker, with bursts of horn on the choruses and Harrington delivering his lyrics in clipped, half-rapped cadences. The lyrics tell a tale of exhaustion and disillusionment: “I’m looking for some kind of savior/ But no one’s coming around/ I’m guzzling the blood of Jesus/ But Jesus, man, it’s bringing me down.” The gory animated video from directors Christy Karacas and Luca Depardon, tells the tale of an army of cats who go to war with robots that are made out of guns. It doesn’t go well for them.
Les Savy Fav are also playing some shows this year, and you should really go see them if you get the chance. I have been to a bunch of LSF live shows, and they are all tattooed on my memory. Below, check out “Guzzle Blood,” the OUI tracklist, and the band’s upcoming gigs.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Guzzle Blood”
02 “Limo Scene”
03 “Void Moon”
04 “Mischief Night”
05 “What We Don’t Don’t Want”
06 “Legendary Tippers”
07 “Dawn Patrol”
08 “Somebody Needs A Hug”
09 “Racing Bees”
10 “Don’t Mind Me”
11 “Oi! Division”
12 “Barbs”
13 “Nihilists”
14 “World Got Great”
TOUR DATES:
05/16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/24 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelans
05/25 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/28 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
06/28 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
06/30 – Somerville, MA @ Arts At The Armory
07/12 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
07/13 – Seattle, WA @ Day In Day Out
OUI is out 5/10 on Frenchkiss Records/The Orchard; pre-order it here.