THE PARANOYDS

– Share new single & 360º video, “Face First”
– Debut album ‘Carnage Bargain’ 
  out September 13th on Suicide Squeeze

Los Angeles four-piece The Paranoyds will release their debut album ‘Carnage Bargain’ in just over two weeks via Suicide Squeeze, and today they share the record’s third single and defiant album opener, “Face First.”

Kicking off the album with a squealing two-note guitar line of alternating half-tones that pierce the air like a siren, the track sees the band bang out their hybrid of buoyant, astute, guitar-led sass as guitarist/vocalist Lexi Funstonsings of watching other people’s private lives unfold on our phones. 

Listen to the song, watch the video, and read more about its inspirations now via Consequence of Sound. Check out more about the interactive, 360º video for “Face First” below:

“We wanted the video to be driving, as the song has always reminded us of some sort of forward movement, like running, driving in a car late at night, etc.” the band explain. “The song is loosely about a stalker and we wanted that idea to be involved in the movement somehow. The video directors, our friends Theo Cohn and David Gantz, wanted to challenge themselves by doing something they had never done before–shooting with a 360º camera. This allowed us to show the point of view of these stalkers, where you could watch the video multiple times and still notice little Easter eggs each time depending on where you look. So many people watch videos on their phones now, and a 360º video makes for a much more interesting and fulfilling experience on a phone.”

“We’re living in the dystopian future. Our lives are completely tracked and programmed, our extension of ourselves is a handheld computer with a microphone and camera that stays on while were unaware, and, on top of everything, the extreme right is gaining continuous world power,” The Paranoyds explains of their name. “What isn’t there to be paranoyd about?”

It’s ironic that the band’s moniker winds up being an apt summary of the band’s general outlook on technology and modern culture given that The Paranoyds’ humble beginnings can be traced back to a friendship forged between Staz Lindes (bass/vocals) and Laila Hashemi (keys/vocals) over Myspace in their early teens. Bonded by a shared interest in local underground music, the pair eventually moved their online friendship into the real world. Laila’s childhood friend Lexi Funston was brought into the fold and the first vestiges of The Paranoyds began to take shape. “We would all go to our friends’ shows and it hit us that we could start a band and play shows too,” Funston says. With the addition of drummer David Ruiz in 2015, the band found the perfect personnel for their sonic balance of jubilant energy and foreboding undercurrents. 

‘Carnage Bargain’ captures this chemistry perfectly—channeling the genre-mashing weirdness of guitar-and-keyboard provocateurs like The Intelligence on tracks like “Laundry,” the fever-dream kitsch of early B-52s on“Ratboy,” krautrock’s motorik groove on “Hungry Sam,” and the beguiling pop of Blondie on the sweet-and-salty highlight “Courtney.” The band may indeed be paranoid, but they offer a solution to our modern ills through the simple act of being an inspiring, independent, and unflappable musical force. 

‘Carnage Bargain’ comes out on September 13th via Suicide Squeeze. Pre-order HERE.  

‘Carnage Bargain’ tracklisting:

1. Face First
2. Carnage Bargain
3. Girlfriend Degree
4. Egg Salad
5. Bear
6. Hungry Sam
7. Courtney
8. Laundry
9. Heather Doubtfire
10. Ratboy

The Paranoyds tour dates:
THU SEP 5 – San Diego, CA, Casbah^
FRI SEP 6 – Pomona, CA, The Glass House^
SAT SEP 7 – Phoenix, AZ, Valley Bar^
MON SEP 9 – Austin, TX, Barracuda^
TUE SEP 10 – Dallas, TX, Club Dada^
WED SEP 11 – Houston, TX, Satellite Bar^
FRI SEP 13 – New Orleans, LA, Gasa Gasa^
SAT SEP 14 – Atlanta, GA, Masquerade (Hell Stage)^
SUN SEP 15 – Durham, NC, Motorco Music Hall^
TUE SEP 17 – Washington, DC, U Street Music Halll^
THU SEP 19 – Brooklyn, NY, Elsewhere^
FRI SEP 20 – Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMoca^
SAT SEP 21 – Boston, MA, Brighton Music Hall^
MON SEP 23 – Toronto, ON, Horseshoe Tavern^
TUE SEP 24 – Columbus, OH, The Basement^
WED SEP 25 – Nashville, TN, Exit/In^
SAT SEP 28 – Minneapolis, MN, 7th Street Entry^
SUN SEP 29 – Chicago, IL, Lincoln Hall^
MON SEP 30 – St. Louis, MO, Firebird^
THU OCT 3 – St. Louis, MO, Firebird#
FRI OCT 4 – Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville Mews#
SAT OCT 5 – St. Paul, MN, Amsterdam Bar & Grill#
MON OCT 7 – Denver, CO, Larimer Lounge#
THU OCT 10 – OCT 13 – Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze
FRI NOV 1 – San Francisco, CA, Cafe du Nord
SAT NOV 2 – Santa Cruz, CA, The Crepe Place
SUN NOV 3 – Reno, NV, The Holland Project
TUE NOV 5 – Portland, OR, Bunk Bar
WED NOV 6 – Seattle, WA, Barboza 
^ = with Bleached
# = with White Reaper

https://theparanoyds.bandcamp.com