New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Brooklyn-based synth trio Nation of Language has released their latest single, "Tournament", continuing to build momentum into their much-anticipated debut album Introduction, Presence, out April 3.
Nation of Language will kick off a 12-date North American tour supporting Adam Green, Monday in Boston, diverting to perform in Austin at SXSW before rejoining the tour in Los Angeles, March 25 at the Bootleg. The tour wraps in Seattle, March 29 with the band returning home to Brooklyn to celebrate Introduction, Presence release night, April 3 at The Sultan Room.
Pre-order Introduction, Presence here and order tickets for The Sultan Room performance here.
Here's what songwriter/vocalist Ian Devaney said about the meaning of "Tournament": "The song is about coming to terms with your circumstances-some big decision has been made, a path has been chosen-and accepting that things will be much harder than you imagined, but there's nothing to do but to keep going. I moved to Brooklyn thinking I would be able to simply plug into a scene I had known, only to realize that it didn't really exist anymore. Venues had closed, people had moved away, and I found myself essentially adrift in an almost comically uncaring city. I came to understand it was simply a matter of work-playing to mostly empty rooms in the hope that the bartender would like us and want to have us back. All I knew was that we weren't going to quit, and that is still pretty much all we know."
Inspired by the early new wave and punk movements, Nation of Language's energetic anthems achieve a blend of upbeat energy with a healthy dose of sardonic melancholy. Their live performances have earned them a reputation for delivering frenzied nights of unexpected bliss. Tracks such as the recent, "Rush & Fever," which Stereogum said contained, "...an infectious new wave bassline and interlocking synth patterns that burrow straight into your skull," and "Indignities," which features Fabrizio Moretti of The
Strokes on bass, have garnered praised from outlets such as The Fader, Paste, NME, AltCitizen, AM New York amongst others.
The two-year process of creating Introduction, Presence involved both musical exploration and self-discovery. Nation of Language went into their rehearsal space without an agenda and simply experimented with new instruments to see what sounds came out. "There's something fascinating to me about how emotions can present themselves when one is unsure of what exactly they're doing," Devaney mused. "It's important to me that people feel that core of innocence and pure discovery out of which these songs were born."
These powerful emotions transcend time and genre, and they have endeared Nation of Language to concertgoers who have had the opportunity to witness their live act, as well as listeners who have come across their early singles as if discovering a hidden secret.
Tour Dates:
03/08 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott ^
03/09 - Montreal, PQ @ Bar le Ritz PDB ^
03/10 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern ^
03/12 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls ^
03/13 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's ^
03/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club ^
03/15 - Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt ^
03/17 - Kansas City, MO @ Mini Bar
03/18-22 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater ^
03/26 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
03/27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel ^
03/28 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater ^
03/29 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern ^
04/03 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Sultan Room
^ Adam Green
