Endure another “Nice Night” of grueling self-doubt and existential dread with Mass Gothic. Totally killer tune here from Hooray For Earth’s Noel Heroux. Calling this new home recorded project a “return to the beginning”, the musician admits his long running previous project had run it’s course, leading to a difficult bout of creative frustration and depression. But, as he recently explained to Sub Pop, “…when I realized that I needed to end the band and just try again, my head cleared and the clouds parted. I’d been derailed somehow.” With nothing to loose, Heroux returned to recording on his four track, and the results were liberating. “I did my best to let go, and what came out was pure, uncut. It reminded me of the first few times I made music, when I was a young kid. I didn’t set any rules and I had zero expectations.”
“Nice Night” begins with a single, heavy bass note wrapped in some serious amp crunch, before adding layers of dark, downward leaning melody; but what really impresses is how Heroux’s vocals play off that, teasing additional melodic nuances that sound so familiar, yet difficult to place. The result is haunting, and Heroux definitely sounds haunted on the cut. “Maybe I’ll be alright”, he sings, but it’s hard to be sure, as he sinks like a stone into another dark night of the soul. And while the results are harrowing, this is bummer pop at it’s finest!
Look for Mass Gothic’s LP debut to come out on Sub Pop this coming February. The band will also head out on a short US tour early that month. Here are the upcoming tour dates…
Thu, Feb 4
Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA
Fri, Feb 5
Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH
Sat, Feb 6
Schubas, Chicago, IL
Mon, Feb 8
7th St Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Thu, Feb 11
Neurolux, Boise, ID
Fri, Feb 12
Columbia City Theater, Seattle, WA
Sat, Feb 13
Bunk Bar, Portland, OR
Sun, Feb 14
Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
Tue, Feb 16
Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles, CA
Thu, Feb 18
Lost Lake Lounge, Denver, CO
Fri, Feb 19
Riot Room, The, Kansas City, MO
Sun, Feb 21
Zanzabar, Louisville, KY
Mon, Feb 22
MOTR Pub, Cincinnati, OH (Free Show!)
Tue, Feb 23
Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Thu, Feb 25
Great Scott, Allston, MA
Fri, Feb 26
Columbus Theater, Providence , RI
Sat, Feb 27
Palisades, Brooklyn , NY
Thu, Mar 10
Black Cat, Washington, DC
Sat, Mar 12
Savannah Stopover Music Festival, Savannah, GA
