The Orwells Share Video for Squalling, Giddy New Single, “Black Francis”

Orwellian guitarist Matt O’Keefe says that his five-piece punk outfit has been “ripping off” Black Francis “for years,” so the band’s release today of their new song and video “Black Francis” is something of a tribute to the histrionic Pixies co-leader.

A single from their third LP, Terrible Human Beings, “Black Francis” does a serpentine dance between Bossanova squall and boogie-woogie grooves. Between the song and the video, there isn’t a moment where the guitars aren’t going off and people aren’t dancing. Matt’s brother Eddie O’Keefe shot the video, and says the band’s goal was to “channel a sort of nineties hip-hop energy; something that could compliment the track’s Beastie Boys-like cadence.” While it’s not quite on the level of “Sabotage” or “Intergalactic,” “Black Francis” is still delightful in its own way—see for yourself above.

Terrible Human Beings drops Feb. 17 through Canvasback Music. Find Paste Cloud audio from the band’s 2012 Daytrotter session, plus their current slate of tour dates, below.

The Orwells Tour Dates:

February
Feb. 17- Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Rough Trade Records

March
16- Chicago, Ill. @ The Metro
17- Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave
18- Minneapolis, Minn. @ Triple Rock
20- Kansas City, Mo. @ Record Bar
22- Englewood, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre
23- Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court Gallery
27- Fresno, Calif. @ Strummers
28- Sacramento, Calif. @ Ace of Spades
29- San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall
30- Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Regent
31- San Diego, Calif. @ The Irenic

April
01- Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Bunkhouse Saloon
03- Phoenix, Ariz. @ Crescent Ballroom
04- El Paso, Texas @ Lowbrow Palace
06- Austin, Texas @ Emo’s
07- Houston, Texas @ The Secret Group
08- Dallas, Texas @ Club Dada
09- Norman, Okla. @ Opolis
10- St. Louis, Mo. @ Ready Bar
17- Columbus, Ohio @ A&R Music Bar
18- Detroit, Mich. @ El Club
19- Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
20- Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Rex Theater
22- Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club
23- Montreal, Quebec @ Bar le Ritz PDB
24- Albany, N.Y. @ The Hollow
26- Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer
27- Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
28- Asbury Park, N.J. @ Wonder Bar
30- Portland, Maine @ Port City Music Hall
31- Hamden, Conn. @ The Ballroom at the Outer Space

June
02- Cambridge, Mass. @ The Sinclair
02-04 – New York, N.Y. @ Governor’s Ball Music Festival
06- Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
07- Atlanta, Ga. @ Terminal West
08 – Sun. June 11- Manchester, Tenn. @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival