In 2018, Lil Xan overdosed on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Now, the SoundCloud rapper is heading to Washington, DC to make a difference. Well, at least that's what's happening on the lead single of Ekko Astral's new record the beltway is burning, which the DC punks are announcing today.
The concept of "lil xan goes to washington" makes a lot more sense when the band members explain it. Here's what Liam Hughes said:
In times when Nicki Minaj is tight with the president, it feels right that Lil Xan becomes a lobbyist. This song was pulled out of thin air in the studio while most of the album was written and ready to record beforehand. We only had the lyrics finished for this one. But once we started messing around, the music wrote itself in minutes, and we all knew we had something special.
Jael Holzman added:
We always intended for the songs on this album to tell a fictional story based on real events. Some of this material dates back a decade to when Liam and I first met in college. But by the time we hit the studio, we had a feeling it would be more like a historical document.
the beltway is burning includes the October release "Horseglue," and it follows the recent announcement that Miri Tyler is leaving the band. Her final performance with Ekko Astral will be at their Liberation Weekend festival in April. Watch the Alec Pugliese-directed music video for "lil xan goes to washington" below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "body generation"
02 "lil xan goes to washington"
03 "horseglue"
04 "beltway" (Feat. Pop Music Fever Dream)
05 "wmata"
06 "this is not a call to action but a lamentation on the situation at hand (or capital riot)"
07 "elegy for a system" (Feat. Big Girl)
08 "lovesick american romance"
09 "dude with guitars"
10 "sandler '36"
11 "blood mountain"
12 "comet ping pong"
TOUR DATES:
02/14 – New York, NY @ Baby's All Right *
03/27 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
03/26 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile **
03/28 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater **
03/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel **
03/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater **
04/25 – Washington, D.C. @ Liberation Weekend / Black Cat
05/29 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby's ***
05/30 – Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House ***
05/31 – Portland, ME @ SPACE ***
06/02 – Providence, RI @ Machines With Magnets
06/03 – Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
06/05 – New York, NY @ Night Club 101
06/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
* with Agriculture
** with Mclusky
*** with Perennial
the beltway is burning is out 4/22 via Topshelf. Pre-order it here.
