Doldrums have signed to Sub Pop and will release the LP The Air Conditioned Nightmare on April 7th via the label. Named after a collection of essays published by Henry Miller in 1945, after the authors return from his extended European stay, Miller presents an uncompromising evisceration of American life, decrying it’s cultural poverty and divorce from nature. In discussing the album title and book, DJ, producer, and performer Airick Woodhead, the musician behind Doldrums, recently told Sub Pop:
“By coincidence I ended up taking the exact same route Miller took in The Air Conditioned Nightmare and found that much still applied today – like how New Orleans feels like the last vestige of magic in America, or how Vegas remains the ultimate gesture of it’s desperation. As a Canadian I’m part of that American culture, yet I’m an outsider too. It’s double-faced.”
Indeed, Woodhead has often used this sort of multivalent citizenship to his advantage sonically, too. Having come of age in the DIY communal music scenes in and around Toronto and Montreal, the musician was, as he explained to Pitchfork‘s Evan Minsker back in October of 2012, often performing his warped take on electro-pop and dance music alongside noise musicians–who were also part of the vibrant, late night art party scene.
This cross-pollination of dance and noise, all wrapped inside a DIY punk ethos, can be heard on Doldrums newest track, “My Friend Simjen“, off the musician’s upcoming album. Cut and spliced with the audio equivalent of a rusty razor blade and paste, Woodhead’s Franken-pop has an anxious, loping gate. A dizzying amount of electronic styles and audio samples are grafted into this strange creature, narrated often by Woodhead’s blasted out vocals. In addition, one can hear the producer turning to EDM’s rolling builds and breaks, to narcotic effect, in this teeth-clenching and spastic cut.
This coming April Doldrums head out on the road for a tour of the US, before flying to Europe for some live dates. Check ’em out…
THU, Apr 9 Bar le Ritz, Montreal
WED, Apr 15 Great Scott, Allston, MA (w/Moon King)
THU, Apr 16 Barbary, Philadelphia, PA (w/Moon King)
FRI, Apr 17 Mercury Lounge, New York City, NY (w/Moon King)
SAT, Apr 18 Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY (w/Moon King)
SUN, Apr 19 DC9, Washington, DC (w/Moon King)
TUE, Apr 21 Aisle 5, Atlanta, GA (w/Moon King)
THU, Apr 23 Gasa Gasa, New Orleans, LA (w/Moon King)
SAT, Apr 25 Red 7 Patio (TX), Austin, TX (w/Moon King)
TUE, Apr 28 Pub Rock, Scottsdale, AZ (w/Moon King)
WED, Apr 29 Soda Bar, San Diego, CA (w/Moon King)
THU, Apr 30 Echo, Los Angeles, CA (w/Moon King)
FRI, May 1 Wayfarer, Costa Mesa, CA (w/Moon King)
SAT, May 2 Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA (w/Moon King)
MON, May 4 Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA (w/Moon King)
TUE, May 5 Holocene, Portland, OR (w/Moon King)
SAT, May 9 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (w/Moon King)
FRI, May 15 Pop Revo Festival, Aarhus, Denmark
WED, May 20 Electrowerkz, London , United Kingdom
THU, May 21 Dublin Whelans , Dublin, Ireland (Hidden Agenda)
FRI, May 22 Louisiana, Bristol, United Kingdom
SAT, May 23 Soup Kitchen , Manchester, United Kingdom
SUN, May 24 Stereo, Glasgow, United Kingdom
TUE, May 26 Hope (UK), Brighton, United Kingdom
WED, May 27 Cactus Club (Belgium), Brugge, Belgium
THU, May 28 OT301 , Amsterdam, Netherlands
TUE, Jun 2 Studio 672, Cologne, Germany
WED, Jun 3 Volt, Hamburg, Germany
THU, Jun 4 Privatclub, Berlin, Germany
