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Canadian art rock band Islands are preparing to release their fifth studio album since 2006. Entitled Ski Mask, the forthcoming effort is set to drop in September and will feature (in addition to epic/disturbing artwork) this recently shared lead single, “Wave Forms.”
In press release comments, lead singer Nick Thorburn candidly discusses his frustrations with being in a band and states that, “this record is really about being angry.” You can read his full statement below and also view concert dates for the band’s upcoming North American tour this fall.
“This record is really about being angry. For better or worse, this record kind of sums up my experience thus far with being in a band. I feel like we’re kind of at a crossroads and this record is kind of me just declaring forfeiture in some ways. Like the third act of a movie—just after it seems like all hope is lost, that’s when the big breakthrough moment happens. For Islands, this is us waiting for the breakthrough moment.”
“This record is kind of a culmination of all the different things we’ve done over the years. It’s basically a melting pot of all those sounds. So much of this record is about identity—specifically, the quest for finding out your own identity. … All of these feelings and ideas that have been bubbling up over the course of four previous albums finally came to the surface on this one. This record is like a summation of Islands, everything we’ve ever done distilled into one record. It’s basically an essential introduction to Islands—it’s everything we’ve ever been about.”
Islands Tour Dates:
09-18 Visalia, CA – The Cellar Door
09-20 Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
09-21 Vancouver, British Columbia – Media Club
09-22 Portland, OR – Doug Fir
09-24 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
09-25 Santa Ana, CA – The Constellation Room
09-26 Los Angeles, CA – Eagle Rock Center for the Arts
09-27 San Diego, CA – Casbah
10-08 Boston, MA – Great Scott
10-09 Montreal, Quebec – Il Motore
10-10 Toronto, Ontario – The Garrison
10-11 Detroit, MI – The Loving Touch
10-12 Madison, WI – Der Rathskeller
10-13 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
10-14 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
10-16 Washington, DC – Empty Bottle
10-17 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
10-20 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
(P4k)