From noisy post-punk to nostalgic balladry, Blonde Redhead has set the tempo for artful indie rock. Since the early ’90s, twins Amedeo and Simone Pace, alongside vocalist Kazu Makino, have crafted introspective jams that, like Sonic Youth records (the band that “discovered” BR), have outlived the years in which they were made. One might surmise the band’s most recent effort, 23, will be no exception.

Like the its last 4AD outing, Misery is a Butterfly, the new album sees the trio abandoning dissonant punk-scapes in favor of more subdued atmospherics. The album beams with Kazu’s effortless, soft vocals over delayed guitars and minimal percussion–the perfect recipe for a band that knows the value of introspective songwriting (see “Elephant Woman,” a song about Kazu’s near-fatal horseback-riding accident, on Misery). 

The band celebrated 23’s release and the start of a tour with a free, albeit packed, in-store performance at New York’s SoHo Apple store (broke fans were surely euphoric). With a month in the U.S. and an even heftier trek through Europe, Blonde Redhead is back in business.

23 is out now on 4AD

Tracklisting
1. 23
2. Dr. Strangeluv
3. The Dress
4. SW
5. Spring And By Summer Fall
6. Silently
7. Publisher
8. Heroine
9. Top Ranking
10. My Impure Hair

Tourdates
4/13 Detroit, MI: Magic Stick
4/14 Chicago, IL: Metro
4/15 Minneapolis, MN: First Avenue
4/19 Portland, OR: Wonder Ballroom
4/20 Vancouver, BC: Commodore Ballroom
4/21 Seattle, WA: Show Box
4/23 San Francisco, CA: Bimbo’s
4/24 San Francisco, CA: Bimbo’s
4/25 Pomona, CA: Glasshouse
4/27 San Diego, CA: Belly Up Tavern
5/1 Dallas, TX: Gypsy Ballroom
5/2 Austin, TX: Stubbs
5/4 Atlanta, GA: Variety Playhouse
5/5 Chapel Hill, NC: Cat’s Cradle
5/6 Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
5/8 New York, NY: Webster Hall
5/9 Boston, MA: Paradise
5/11 Toronto, ON: The Opera House
5/12 Montreal, QC: Club Soda