DINOSAUR JR. ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM OUT AUGUST 28 + NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
JAGJAGUWAR
Today, Dinosaur Jr. announce their new album, There Near, out August 28th via Jagjaguwar and release the lead single/video, “Several Got Away.” In conjunction, they announce a fall North American Tour. Of the “Several Got Away” video, the director Guy Kozak says, “I wanted to do something a little tongue-in-cheek with a kind of ‘backyard movie’ feel that could fit in nicely with the existing canon of dinosaur jr. music videos. The first bit of inspiration came from a great Henry Darger painting of kids being terrorized by two giant floating hands of fire. Then I got thinking about the rapture, and it came together from there. The guys were really game for it all, and I was honored that they let me chase them around a big field with my camera like a psycho. We were on a tight schedule with the turnaround, so I had to learn a lot of VFX stuff over the course of the weekend, but I like the way the effects all turned out.”
There Near marks the sixth studio album Dinosaur Jr. have recorded in the 20 years since their triumphal rebirth. There have been several live and/or closet cleaning collections to keep us punters sated for the five years since Sweep It Into Space, but there is nothing quite like having a full slab of new Dino tunes to fry your ears. And There Near has all knobs set to Extra Crispy.
Created in short, intense bursts over the course of a year at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio, There Near was recorded almost entirely by Dino’s core trio—king of the thunder tubs, Murph, human tornado Lou Barlow on bass/vocals and the inimitable J Mascis on guitar/vocals— with a bit of piano and organ work by local master musician, Ken Mauri. And the album roars from start to finish.
J’s guitar tone throughout There Near is even more animalistic than usual, perhaps owing partly to the fact he’s playing through a recently acquired 70’s Mesa Boogie MK 1 amp. “I bought the same amp that Chris Dixon had when we made our first album,” J says. “Chris recorded us at his house with his amp. It has a real interesting sound I haven’t gotten for a while. And it’s something I was trying to get back to on this album. The Stones started using Mesa Boogies in the ’70s after they heard Santana playing through them. Then The Clash copied The Stones, etc. As the years went on into the MK 2 and so on, the Boogie got more metal-sounding. But the MK 1 has a souped-up Fender sound. You always hear how Rick Rubin always makes bands he’s producing sit down and listen to their first album and say, let’s get back to that sound. So I just gave myself his advice.”
Asked about the philosophical opacity of his lyrical approach, J says. “I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time. I try not to think too hard about any of it. I think it’s a drag that Spotify shows all the lyrics to a song. What’s the fun of that?”
There Near continues Dinosaur Jr’s string of classic albums. The new songs are sure to sound amazing with their monstrous riffs blaring from live stages amidst their historical brethren. Can’t wait to catch them live, but in the meantime, There Near will be a constant companion. The nearer the better.
Next month, Dinosaur Jr. will embark on a tour throughout the East Coast, South, and Midwest. Today’s newly announced tour finds them making stops in major cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and more. Tickets went on sale Tuesday, June 30th at 12PM ET.
Tour Dates
Fri. July 10 – Kingston, NY @ Ulster Performing Arts Center +
Sat. July 11 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall +
Sun. July 12 – Hammondsport, NY @ Point of the Bluff Vineyards +
Tue. July 14 – Richmond, VA @ Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden +
Thu. July 16 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater +
Fri. July 17 – Asheville, NC @ Hellbender by The Orange Peel +
Sat. July 18 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern +
Mon. July 20 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre +
Tue. July 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company +
Wed. July 22 – Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Amphitheater +
Fri. July 24 – Lansing, MI @ Grewal Hall
Sat. July 25 – Fishers, IN @ Nickel Plate District Amphitheater +
Sun. July 26 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! +
Tue. July 28 – St. Louis, MO @ The Factory +
Thu. July 30 – Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theatre +
Fri. July 31 – West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom +
Sat. Aug. 1 – Omaha, NE @ Astro Theater +
Fri. Oct. 9 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl*
Sat. Oct. 10 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre*
Sun. Oct. 11 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up*
Thu. Oct. 15 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues*
Fri. Oct. 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether*
Sun. Oct. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theatre*
Tue. Oct. 20 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades*
Thu. Oct. 22 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall*
Fri. Oct. 23 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune*
Sat. Oct. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune*
Mon. Oct. 26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex*
Thu. Oct. 29 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre*
Fri. Oct. 30 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s*
Mon. Nov. 2 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater*
Wed. Nov. 4 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues*
Thu. Nov. 5 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s*
Fri. Nov. 6 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger*
Sat. Nov. 7 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s*
+ co-headline with Band of Horses
* w/ special guest Stef Chura
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: Jeff Fowler | Album Cover Credit: Andrea Dezsö
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