File download is hosted on Megaupload
Superchunk has spent 2017 sharing a steady stream of standalone charity releases, including last month’s 7-inch benefiting the Southern Poverty Law Center. Now, the North Carolina indie rockers have announced a new full-length album, their first in four years. It’s called What a Time to Be Alive and arrives February 16th through Merge Records.
(Read: The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time)
As a preview of their eleventh studio album, the quartet has shared its title track. It’s a sarcastic pop punk tune featuring biting sociopolitical commentary. “To see the rot in no disguise,” sings Mac McCaughan in the chorus. “Oh, what a time to be alive/ The scum, the shame, the fucking lies/ Oh, what a time to be alive.” Hear it below.
What a Time to Be Alive is the band’s 11th album overall and the follow-up to 2013’s I Hate Music. It’s unclear whether the album’s title was influenced by Drake and Future’s 2015 collaborative project of the same name, but we highly doubt it.
Prior to their SPLC benefit 7-inch, Superchunk shared the charity single, “Everything At Once” in February, released a limited-edition compilation for Record Store Day, and followed up with a 7-inch vinyl benefiting Planned Parenthood this summer.
Superchunk will embark on a North American tour behind the record, with shows scheduled throughout the months of February and April. They’ll be joined on the road by Swearin’ and Bat Fangs, the new collaborative project from Ex Hex’s Betsy Wright and Flesh Wounds drummer Laura King. Check out the full schedule below.
Superchunk 2018 Tour Dates:
02/15 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
02/17 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry *
02/21 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
02/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge *
02/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom *
02/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Noise Pop Festival *
02/26 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
02/27 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
02/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre *
04/03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat ^
04/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
04/06 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ^
04/07 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ^
04/08 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ^
04/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/27 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/28 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
* = w/ Bat Fangs
^ = w/ Swearin’
