Montreal experimental-punk outfit Ought’s music is filled with ennui that’s pushing toward excitement. It is a fulfillment of the David Foster Wallace quote that, “In the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance.” All-encompassing words such as “love” or “life” become battle sites, big ideas to dig into and deeply consider.
For his debut solo album Saturday Night, due out Feb. 17, Ought’s frontman Tim Darcy isn’t quite so heady and filled with nervous energy. Actually, for the single “Still Waking Up,” there is a nervous energy. But it’s brought on by the heart instead of the head, with a backing that isn’t far-removed from something The Five Satins would’ve sung if they picked up guitars. Darcy’s singing about: what he can’t see, how a flame of his is waking up without any plans for what to do, and how all he can think about or recall are “popular songs.” “Your eyes tell me that I’m not ready,” he gently croons, in a voice made for 1959 pop. Where before such a deflating confirmation would’ve created a palpable panic, now Darcy simply acknowledges, “Isn’t that funny how it happens?” Love and life aren’t quite so serious here.
You can catch the Meg Remy-directed video for “Still Waking Up” above, pre-order Saturday Night via Jagjaguwar here, and check out tour dates for Tim Darcy’s solo tour, kicking off on Feb. 13, below. Find the Saturday Night album art and tracklist, plus the video for lead single “Tall Glass of Water,” here.
Tim Darcy Tour Dates:
February
13 – Hudson, N.Y. @ Half Moon
15 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Baby’s All Right *
17 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Drake
20 – London, U.K. @ Lexington !
21 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
22 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
23 – Rennes, France @ La Route Du Rock D’hiver
24 – Paris, France @ Olympic
March
04 – Montreal, Quebec @ Bar Le Ritz ^
06 – Boston, Mass. @ Great Scott ^
07 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Boot & Saddle ^
08 – Washington, D.C. @ The Black Cat ^
09 – Richmond, Va. @ Strange Matter ^
10 – Raleigh, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle ^
11 – Savannah, Ga. @ Savannah Stopover
12 – Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl %
18 – Dallas, Texas @ Not So Fun Wknd $
20 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Riot Room ^
22 – Bloomington, Ind. @ The Bishop ^
23 – Chicago, Ill. @ The Empty Bottle ^
25 – Detroit, Mich. @ Marble Bar ^
May
18 – Nottingham, U.K. @ The Rescue Rooms #
19 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street #
20 – Cork, Ireland@ Cork Opera House #
21 – Belfast, U.K. @ Empire Music Hall #
23 – Leeds, U.K. @ Stylus #
24 – London, U.K. @ Roundhouse #
25 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg #
26 – Berlin, Germany @ Heimathafen Neukölln #
(* = with Dark Tea)
(! = with Robert Sotelo)
(^ = with Molly Burch)
(% = with Delicate Steve)
($ = with The Drums, No Joy, Jay Som)
(# = supporting Angel Olsen)