New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Glasgow's post punk queer quintet Walt Disco have released their brand new "Jocelyn" single and official video, the third track to emerge from their forthcoming second album The Warping, out June 14.
Already enjoying acclaim from Rolling Stone UK, GLAAD, Sweety High, Punknws.org and more, "Jocelyn" is a tender meditation on childhood, identity and the parent-child connection. Taking the form of a dreamlike conversation between co-songwriter and singer Jocelyn Si and their mother, "Jocelyn" digs into the isolation of hiding a part of yourself and the euphoria of allowing it to shine through. The track, says its namesake, is "about recognising the version of yourself that you love. And it's not always easy to have that be the one that faces the world."
They continue, "Lyrically it's a dreamlike internal conversation between my mother and I, from small talk to mannerisms I've had since childhood. Such conversations come to mind when you change your name and gender; but it doesn't erase these memories. I hope to live in a world where parents can allow themselves to understand the upset they may feel when a child makes this decision but can love and support them all the same "
The band adds; "Everyone has a side of themselves that at some point, or maybe always, they feel they need to keep hidden away. This track explores the isolation of hiding a part of yourself and the euphoria of the times when you can let it out. The despairing lyrical matter of the verses opens into the joyous choruses, it's meant to feel transformative to represent the idea of leaving your shame in the past and finding the strength to start anew."
Upon their first stint in the US, the Glasgow 5-piece were hailed as BrooklynVegan, Austin Chronicle and Rolling Stone's 'best bands of SXSW'. Following a rollicking European support run with OMD, Walt Disco will join electronic pop pioneers for a lengthy support tour across North America this Fall. They have also just announced a UK + EU headline tour.
Written on both sides of the Atlantic, from Los Angeles and Austin to Glasgow and London, The Warping is a significant step forward for the band. Deeply personal, deft lyricism examines feelings of envy, fear, joy and hope. Yearning for another self is a recurring dream on The Warping, as they explore gender dysphoria and envy with radical honesty, accepting them as two tangled threads in the same experience. Taking the cinematic glam of their debut to a new peak, the band brought in classically trained horns, woodwind and swelling string sections lending a fantastically organic and technically accomplished new level to the Walt Disco sound. While the foundations were laid during pre-album recording sessions at Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music's studio the songs themselves largely come together in collaboration. The Warping was co-produced by the band and Chris McCrory, with engineering from The Vale studios' Chris D'Adda, and the instrumentation is almost entirely analogue.
Walt Disco also ticked off some bucket list moments; be it opening for both Simple Minds and Duran Duran, as well as Primal Scream's Screamadelica Tour, or Tilda Swinton calling them her favourite new band. The band's singer Jocelyn Si narrated the short film Christopher at Sea, about queer identity and self-discovery, which showcased at the Venice Film Festival and Cannes. The band also featured within a Christian Louboutin campaign that sought to challenge the gender binary applied to clothing and footwear as well as performing in Paris at the Louboutin event for Paris Fashion Week.
US:
9/9: Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
9/11: Vancouver BC @ Orpheum
9/12: Seattle WA @ Moore Theatre
9/13: Portland OR @ Roseland Theater
9/15: Oakland CA @ Fox Theater
9/17: Las Vegas NV @ House of Blues
9/19: Los Angeles CA @ Greek Theatre
9/20: Los Angeles CA @ Greek Theatre
9/21: San Diego CA @ Balboa Theatre
9/24: Salt Lake City UT @ Union Events Center
9/25: Denver CO @ Paramount Theatre
9/27: Dallas TX @ Majestic Theater
9/28: Austin TX @ The Moody Theater @ ACL Live
9/29: Houston TX @ Bayou Music Center
10/4: Minneapolis MN @ First Avenue
10/5: Chicago IL @ Riviera Theatre
10/6: Royal Oak MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/8: Toronto ON @ History
10/9: Cleveland OH @ House of Blues
10/10: New York NY @ Terminal 5
10/12: Huntington NY @ The Paramount
10/13: Boston MA @ House of Blues
10/15: Glenside PA @ Keswick Theatre
10/16: Washington DC @ Lincoln Theatre
10/18: Atlanta GA @ Buckhead Theater
10/19: Orlando FL @ The Plaza Live
10/20: St Petersburg FL @ Jannus Live
Headline Tour:
11/10: Leeds, UK @ The Wardrobe
11/11: Manchester, UK @ YES
11/13: Nottingham, UK @ Bodega
11/14: Birmingham, UK @ Institute 3
11/15: Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
11/16: Brighton, UK @ Dust
11/18: Hamburg, Germany @ Nochtspeicher
11/19 - Cologne, Germany @ Blue Shell
11/21: Frankfurt, Germany @ Brotfrabik
11/22: Berlin, Germany @ Prachtwerk
11/23: Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Bitterzoet
11/26: Paris, France @ Hasard Ludique
11/28: London, UK @ Bush Hall
11/29: Newcastle, UK @ Zerox
Festivals:
5/20: Leipzig, Germany @ Wave Gotik Treffen
6/1: Leeds, UK @ This Must Be The Place All Dayer
6/2: London, UK @ Mighty Hoopla
6/9 + 6/10: Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark @ Frigjort Festival
