A month ago, Girlpool released “Where You Sink” and “Lucy’s,” a pair of extremely promising new songs that showed the band continuing to evolve into a richly layered indie rock project. Today the duo is serving up another banger plus details on the follow-up to 2017’s Powerplant.

The new album is called What Chaos Is Imaginary. It’s out at the top of February via Anti-. It includes those two great songs Girlpool released last month, but the tune out today, “Hire,” is the one they’re calling the album’s lead single.

“Hire” is one of several songs on the album that remind me of Elliott Smith — not a direction I expected when Girlpool came blaring out of LA’s DIY underground a few years back, but one that is extremely pleasing to my ears. It’s also a great showcase for Cleo Tucker’s voice, which has been transforming as they undergo a gender transition — more on that here — especially when they let it rip on the chorus. The lyrics are abstract but evocative: “Will I make the matinée with my newest life and be that bright time/ Advertise what makes you crazy so I can second guess my focus, are you gonna hire me?”

Listen below, where you can find the album’s tracklist, tour dates with Artist To Watch Hatchie, and a new music video for “Where You Sink” Girlpool also released today.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Lucy’s”
02 “Stale Device”
03 “Where You Sink”
04 “Hire”
05 “Pretty”
06 “Chemical Freeze”
07 “All Blacked Out”
08 “Lucky Joke”
09 “Minute In Your Mind”
10 “What Chaos Is Imaginary”
11 “Hoax And The Shrine”
12 “Swamp And Bay”
13 “Joseph’s Dad”
14 “Roses”

TOUR DATES:
04/04 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport *
04/05 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
04/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater *
04/09 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
04/11 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
04/12 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
04/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
04/16 – St Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
04/17 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
04/18 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
04/19 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig *
04/20 – Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall *
04/21 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz *
04/23 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
04/24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
04/25 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
04/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
04/27 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes *
04/28 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
04/30 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall *
05/01 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt *
05/02 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn *
05/03 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon *
05/04 – Houston, TX @ Satellite *
05/05 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger *
05/07 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
05/08 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
05/09 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Coop *
05/10 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf *
05/11 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole *

* w/ Hatchie

What Chaos Is Imaginary is out 2/1 via Anti-. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Ilana Kozlov