Protomartyr Announce Consolation E.P., Recorded in Part With The Breeders’ Kelley Deal

Detroit post-punks Protomartyr are following their acclaimed 2017 album Relatives In Descent with Consolation E.P., a new EP recorded in part with Kelley Deal of The Breeders and set for a June 15 release via Domino. Two of the EP’s four tracks feature Deal on vocals alongside Protomartyr lead singer Joe Casey, including “Wheel of Fortune,” the video for which was released on Thursday morning alongside Consolation E.P.’s announcement.

The band’s “Wheel of Fortune” video, directed by Yoonha Park, opens with the squeal of feedback and a striking subversion of a timeless image: the classic still-life painter’s fruit bowl tableau joined by a knife, oysters and rubber bands, a visual art reference reminiscent of Protomartyr’s Park-helmed “Don’t Go to Antacita” video. The clip’s ensuing shots, cut to the song’s steady rhythm and crashing percussion, manage to be both whimsical and unsettling, as various figures smash candy with hammers, stare into a handful of flames and take a pair of scissors to a thick cable (with explosive results). It all feels like a sardonic expression of humankind’s folly.

Casey had this to say of Protomartyr’s new EP, which was recorded by Deal’s R. Ring bandmate Mike Montgomery:

Early 2017 proved to be a productive time for the band. We were writing songs right up to recording Relatives In Descent and wanted to keep that momentum going right after. Making 2015’s split single “A Half Of Seven” with R. Ring was one of our favorite recording experiences, so the decision to head down to Dayton, Kentucky and spend a weekend in May recording the four songs that became the Consolation E.P. was an easy one.

Deal recalled how the collaboration came together and teased a future team-up:

For Mike and I, working on this EP with Protomartyr was a re-kindling of the tender spark that was struck upon our first encounter with them years ago in Texas. They were graciously tolerant and receptive to my production ideas on the songs and the project quickly grew beyond our private orb. We have cello from Lori Goldston, viola from Jocelyn Hach and even bass clarinet from Evan Ziporyn, and I do some singing with Joe. There’s a lot of trust involved when an artist places their songs in your hands, and we were very mindful of that while intentionally trying to take the songs in new directions. Candyland in Dayton, Ky. is home-base for R. Ring recording, and it’s close enough that the Proto-men could make it down to lay the tracks down. This is the second project like this we’ve done with them, so we’re ready to flip the tables and have them produce and record some of our songs!

Deal and The Breeders recently released All Nerve, their first new full-length in a decade. We look forward to hearing the influence that Protomartyr have on their next release.

Watch the “Wheel of Fortune” video below and see the details of Consolation E.P. further down, along with Protomartyr’s tour dates. You can preorder their EP now via Domino or digital.

Consolation E.P. Tracklist:
01. Wait
02. Same Face In A Different Mirror
03. Wheel Of Fortune (feat. Kelley Deal)
04. You Win Again (feat. Kelley Deal)

Consolation E.P. Album Art:

Protomartyr Tour Dates:

May
03 – Kortrijik, Belgium @ De Kreun
04 – Bristol, U.K. @ Thekla
05 – Leicester, U.K. @ Handmade Festival
06 – Glasgow, U.K. @ Stag & Dagger Festival
08 – Hull, U.K. @ Fruit
09 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Mama Roux
10 – London, U.K. @ Rough Trade East – In Conversation with the Raincoats
10 – London, U.K. @ Scala

June
03 – Seattle, Wash. @ Upstream Music Festival
09 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Elsewhere (Brooklyn Vegan Northside Party)
13 – Hong Kong, Hong Kong @ MOM Livehouse
15 – Beijing, China @ Yue Space
16 – Shanghai, China @ YYT
17 – Seoul, Korea @ V-Hall
20 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ Live Fact
21 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Rossi Musik
23 – Athens, Greece @ Ejekt Festival

July
06 – Modena, Italy @ Arti Vive
07 – Chiusi, Italy @ Lars Rock Fest
21 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ FYF Fest

August
11 – Haldern, Germany @ Haldern Pop Festival
12 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rotondes
13 – Dusseldorf, Germany @ Zakk
14 – Bremen, Germany @ Tower Musikclub
16 – Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje
17 – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands @ Lowlands Festival
18 – Hasselt, Belgium @ Pukkelpop Festival
19 – St. Malo, France @ La Route Du Rock
21 – Dudingen, Switzerland @ Bad Bonn
22 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Mascotte
24 – Schorndorf, Germany @ Club Manufaktur
25 – Charleville Mezieres, France @ Cabaret Vert Festival
26 – Ramsgate, U.K. @ Ramsgate Hall
28 – Sheffield, U.K. @ Picture House Social
29 – Hebden Bridge, U.K. @ Trades Club
30 – Liverpool, U.K. @ O2 Academy 2
31 – Salisbury, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
30 – Sep. 2 – Vlieland, Netherlands @ Into the Great Wide Open