London-based post-punk band Black Midi have announced the June 21 release of their debut full-length album through Rough Trade Records, the independent label known for signing indie and punk artists including The Strokes, The Smiths and Arcade Fire.
The band, known for singles like “BmBmBm,” “Speedway” and “Crow’s Perch,” also announced their fall North American tour that will run from Nov. 7 in Detroit to Nov. 24 in Seattle. The group will be touring Europe and Japan from May 5 to Oct. 10. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m., and a full list of tour dates can be found below.
The band’s debut album, titled Schlagenheim, includes nine tracks at a total run time of 43:10. In an unusual move, song titles won’t be revealed until the release date.
Black Midi—Georgie Greep on vocals and guitar, Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin on vocals and guitar, Cameron Picton on vocals and bass, and Morgan Simpson on drums—recorded their new tracks with Speedy Wunderground producer Dan Carey, laying down eight of the nine tracks in just five days.
“The process was one of refining and rebuilding tracks around the initial structures,” a press release explains. “Five hour jams would sometimes yield a riff that then became a few bars of a song. As anyone who’s been lucky enough to catch Black Midi live over recent months will testify, black midi’s songs are slippery creatures.”
Rough Trade promises an experimental album, veering away from the tighter regulations of Black Midi’s early work. And in a few years time, the band’s music will be unrecognizable from this album, the band says.
“It’s a bit bold, but you’ve got to set yourself challenges,” Greep said in a statement. “There’s no point doing the same thing over and over again.”
The members of Black Midi, all 19 and 20 years old, met at the Brit School for Performing Arts and Technology, where they laid the groundwork for their musical development. The members would teach music, play sessions for friends and busk on the streets of London, playing Jimi Hendrix covers and their own music.
Find Black Midi’s tour dates and Schlagenheim artwork by David Rudnick below. You can preorder the album here.
Schlagenheim Album Art:
Black Midi Tour Dates:
May
05 — Manchester, U.K. @ Sounds From The Other City
11 — Brighton, U.K. @ The Great Escape Festival
25 — Totnes, U.K. @ Sea Change
30 — Nimes, France @ This is Not a Love Song Festival
31 — Düdingen, Switzerland @ Bad Bonn Kilbi
June
01 — Neurstrelitz, Germany @ Immergut Festival
05 — Gothenberg, Sweden @ Garden Festival
08 — Paris, France @ Villette Sonique
10 — Moers, Germany @ Moers Festival
15 — Bergen, Norway @ Bergenfest
18 — London, U.K. @ EartH
20 — Bristol, U.K. @ Fiddlers
21 — Liverpool, U.K. @ Phase One
22 — Glasgow, U.K. @ Mono
23 — Nottingham, U.K. @ Contemporary Space
July
05 — Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
05-07 — Moscow, Russia @ Bol? Festival
12 — Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival
14 — Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Valkhof Festival
18 — New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
21 — Chicago, Ill. @ Pitchfork Music Festival
22 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ 7th Street Entry
23 — Madison, Wis. @ The Terrace and University of Wisconsin
26 — Hyéres, France @ Midi Festival
August
02-04 — Katowice, Poland @ Off Festival
04 — Waterford, Ireland @ All Together Now
08 — Rees Haldern, Germany @ Haldern Pop
10 — Oslo, Norway @ Øya Festival
16 — Viana do Castelo, Portugal @ Paredes de Coura
16-18 — Biddinghuizen, Netherlands @ Lowlands Festival
24 — Gueret, France @ Check In Festival
29-31 #8212; Dorset, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
September
01 — Dorset, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
05 — Tokyo, Japan @ Unit
06 — Osaka, Japan @ Conpasss
07 — Kyoto, Japan @ Metro
18 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @Melkweg
19 — Paris, France @ La Boule Noire
21 — Bordeaux, France @ Barbey Indie Club
25 — Lisbon, Portugal @ ZBD
October
02 — Zagreb, Croatia @ Mocvara
03 — Bratislava, Slovakia @ Fuga
04 — Budapest, Hungary @ Durer’s
05 — Prague, Czech Republic @ Underdogs’
07 — Berlin, Germany @ Lido
08 — Hamburg, Germany @ Kampnagel
09 — Cologne, Germany @ Bumann & Sohn
10 — Brussels, Belgium @ Beursschouwburg
November
07 — Detroit, Mich. @ Deluxx Fluxx
08 — Toronto, Canada @ Velvet Underground
09 — Montreal, Canada @ Les Foufounes Électriques
12 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ First Unitarian Church
13 — Washington, D.C. @ U Street Music Hall
15 — Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
16 — Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl
17 — Nashville, Tenn. @ High Watt
19 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Zebulon
20 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Zebulon
21 — San Francisco, Calif. @ Rickshaw Stop
23 — Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 — Seattle, Wash. @ The Crocodile