Tacocat Shine on New Single “Grains of Salt,” Detail Forthcoming Album This Mess Is a Place

It takes a particularly stony face to keep from smiling when Tacocat come on. The Seattle four-piece prove as effervescent as ever on their fun, frothy new single “Grains of Salt,” released Thursday. The track is the first off their forthcoming record This Mess Is a Place, their debut album on Sub Pop Records.

The accompanying music video for “Grains of Salt” (dir. Claire Buss) brings the colorful, bubbly song to life. Band members Emily Nokes (vocals), Bree McKenna (bass), Eric Randall (guitar) and Lelah Maupin (drums) goof off and dance alongside some of Seattle’s favorite drag performers in outfits so bright, they’d make Lisa Frank jealous. Nokes said of the track in a statement, “This song is for roller skating, friendship, self friendship, yes and no doubt, turning it off, running up and down that hill, leaving gross stuff behind, landing the backflip, imposter syndrome, being your own genie, and remembering who the fuck you are.”

As for This Mess Is a Place, the feminist-punk outfit’s fourth full-length album sees the Seattle band, like many artists these days, ruminating on life in the time of Trump. Most importantly, though, their political observations shine with an overall message of hope—and, suitably, this new record also promises a more poppy sound. As Nokes so beautifully puts it: “We can examine some hard stuff, make fun of some evil stuff, feel some soft feelings, feel some rage feelings, feel some bitter-ass feelings, sift through memories, feel wavy-existential, and still go get a banana daiquiri at the end.”

Fellow Seattle artist Erik Blood, who previously produced their Hardly Art-released record Lost Time, returns to producing duties on This Mess Is a Place. The album is out via Sub Pop on May 3. Watch the video for “Grains of Salt,” explore Tacocat’s tour dates (tickets on sale Friday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. local time) and check out the album’s details below.

This Mess Is a Place Album Art:

This Mess Is a Place Tracklist:
01. Hologram
02. New World
03. Grains of Salt
04. The Joke of Life
05. Little Friend
06. Rose-Colored Sky
07. The Problem
08. Crystal Ball
09. Meet Me at La Palma
10. Miles and Miles

Tacocat Tour Dates:

May
09 — St. Paul, Minn. @ Turf Club
10 — Milwaukee, Wis. @ Cactus Club
11 — Chicago, Ill. @ Lincoln Hall
12 — Grand Rapids, Mich. @ The Pyramid Scheme
13 — Pittsburgh, Penn. @ Club Cafe
15 — Cambridge, Mass. @ The Sinclair
17 — Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
18 — Philadelphia, Penn. @ Boot & Saddle
19 — Washington, D.C. @ U Street Music Hall
21 — Durham, N.C. @ The Pinhook
22 — Atlanta, Ga. @ The Drunken Unicorn
23 — Nashville, Tenn. @ The High Watt
24 — St. Louis, Mo. @ Off Broadway
25 — Kansas City, Mo. @ The Record Bar

June
08 — Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox at the Market
12 — Spokane, Wash. @ The Bartlett
13 — Boise, Idaho @ Neurolux
14 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court
15 — Denver, Colo. @ Larimer Lounge
17 — Dallas, Texas @ Club Dada
18 — Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall
19 — Austin, Texas @ Barracuda
21 — Sante Fe, N.M. @ Meow Wolf
22 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Valley Bar
23 — San Diego, Calif. @ The Casbah
25 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Bootleg Theater
26 — San Francisco, Calif. @ The Chapel
28 — Portland, Ore. @ Aladdin Theater