July 17 street date. London-based band black midi follow their debut album, "Schlagenheim" ("the most intense and invigorating debut of 2019" - MOJO), with a new 12" featuring "Sweater" and "7-eleven". Both tracks were recorded with Speedy Wunderground's Dan Carey during the same period that resulted in "Schlagenheim", and "Sweater" was the last of the tracks recorded during those sessions. Available for the first time on 12".
May 28 street date. "Cavalcade" is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to 2019's widely-praised "Schlagenheim". It scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements. black midi - Geordie Greep (guitar, primary vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) - picture "Cavalcade" as a line of larger than life figures, from a cult leader fallen on hard times and an ancient corpse found in a diamond mine to legendary cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich, strolling seductively past them. "When you're listening, you can imagine all the characters form a sort of cavalcade. Each tells their story one by one and as each track ends they overtake you, replaced by the next in line," comments Picton. With original band member guitarist/vocalist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin taking time away from the group to focus on his mental health, black midi chose to augment their sound on "Cavalcade", rather than replicate it, with saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboard player Seth Evans.
May 28 street date. "Cavalcade" is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to 2019's widely-praised "Schlagenheim". It scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements. black midi - Geordie Greep (guitar, primary vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) - picture "Cavalcade" as a line of larger than life figures, from a cult leader fallen on hard times and an ancient corpse found in a diamond mine to legendary cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich, strolling seductively past them. "When you're listening, you can imagine all the characters form a sort of cavalcade. Each tells their story one by one and as each track ends they overtake you, replaced by the next in line," comments Picton. With original band member guitarist/vocalist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin taking time away from the group to focus on his mental health, black midi chose to augment their sound on "Cavalcade", rather than replicate it, with saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboard player Seth Evans.
May 28 street date. Picture disc limited to 100 copies. "Cavalcade" is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to 2019's widely-praised "Schlagenheim". It scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements. black midi - Geordie Greep (guitar, primary vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) - picture "Cavalcade" as a line of larger than life figures, from a cult leader fallen on hard times and an ancient corpse found in a diamond mine to legendary cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich, strolling seductively past them. "When you're listening, you can imagine all the characters form a sort of cavalcade. Each tells their story one by one and as each track ends they overtake you, replaced by the next in line," comments Picton. With original band member guitarist/vocalist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin taking time away from the group to focus on his mental health, black midi chose to augment their sound on "Cavalcade", rather than replicate it, with saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboard player Seth Evans.
April 9 street date. "Cavalcade" album opener "John L." with b-side "Despair", has a massive sound, driven by some gutsy "Discipline"-era King Crimson thrust, and energy wrought by the inclusion of Jerskin Fendrix on violin. The group tease the raging track to the point of nonexistence before leading it through caverns of reverb and gauzy snareskin landscapes, just for it to return, hitting hard as hell once more. The story painted is a jet black comedy about what happens to cult leaders when their followers turn on them. Its equally massive video was directed by choreographer Nina McNeely, known for her work on Rihanna's "Sledgehammer" and Gaspar Noe's "Climax".