Bush Tetras Share “Bird on a Wire”
New Video Created By Lewie & Noah Kloster
Announce More UK& EU Tour Dates
New LPThey Live In My Head Out July 28th On Wharf Cat Records
In May, the iconic NYC punks Bush Tetras announced They Live In My Head (out July 28th on Wharf Cat Records) their first LP in 11 years and their first featuring the band’s new full time drummer, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, who stepped in to fill the shoes of the Lower East Side legend and founding member of the band Dee Pop, following his death in 2021. The album arrives on the heels of the 2021 release of the band’s career spanning box set Rhythm and Paranoia, a release that the New York Times said “proves for decades [that Bush Tetras] continued to evolve in surprising yet intuitive directions,” and received Pitchfork’s Best New Reissue designation, with a review they said revealed “just how vital [Bush Tetras] remained each decade.”
The announce of the band’s new LP was greeted with universal enthusiasm in the press, with the New York Times declaring that lead single “Things I Put Together” “reclaims Bush Tetras’ muscle, dissonance and die-hard contrarianism,” and the track saw further praise from outlets like Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Paste, BrooklynVegan, Uproxx, FLOOD and many more.
Today the band are sharing a final pre-release single from the LP, a track called “Bird on a Wire” that arrives alongside a video created by Lewie and Noah Kloster.
Bush Tetras have this colossal energy and that emits into their vivid creations, clearly on display throughout “Bird on a Wire”. The opening intro is an introduction to the raucous rhythms, immense tonality choices and this ferocious intensity. The eager drum shuffles assist with the urgency of this composition, whilst the bass low-end factors in this great depth and enhancement to the structures and the guitar shimmers throughout, it’s the vocal notes which pull you in and keep you fixated on this journey.
This is a truly infectious creation that captures the angular tones and abrasive touch of Bush Tetras.
In addition to their recently announced US dates the band have announced a UK and EU tour that will begin in the fall. Full details can be found below and more American dates can be expected to be announced soon.
They Live in My Head is the band’s third full length record since their formation in 1979, but that fact is a little misleading. Bush Tetras have written songs together for decades. They’ve thought about their output, they’ve played heart stopping live shows. They Live in My Head is a natural evolution to the band’s sound. When Shelley joined the band, Bush Tetras went into the rehearsal space, entering into kinesthetic writing sessions. “We just went into the rehearsal space and things just would fall right into place,” says Place, “We’d just start playing and the next thing would happen and we’d know where to take it.”
This intuitive approach to songwriting lends itself to music that feels urgent, natural, the kind of stuff you can really grind your teeth and dance to. The record is a collection of songs that often reflect on the past, of thinking back to old memories, and honouring those who are no longer with us. “We thought a lot about memories from 1979 in New York City.” says Sley, “It’s a reflection of growing up together, what we were eating, what we were doing, weird little things people probably won’t get. But that’s cool.”
There are ample moments where Bush Tetras reflect on the immediate challenges of the 2020s: the pandemic, the need to protest, the need to stand up against what is right in the face of evil. Bush Tetras have always been a political band, a band that calls out all kinds of bullshit, and They Live in My Head, is absolutely no exception. Bush Tetras are always like this: a band that demands your attention, that isn’t definable by any sort of genre descriptors or cheap shots. Four decades on they’re as essential as ever, ready to make you think, make you dance, hit up a mosh pit and throw elbows in your combat boots, but only if you won’t be a jerk—or a creep.
They Live In My Head will be released on Wharf Cat Records on July 28th. It is available for preorder here.
Bush Tetras – They Live In My Head Track List
1. Bird On A Wire
2. Tout Est Meilleur
3. Things I Put Together
4. 2020 Vision
5. I Am Not A Member
6. Walking Out The Door
7. So Strange
8. Ghosts Of People
9. They Live In My Head
10. Another Room
11. The End
Tour Dates
9/15 – NY, NY @ LPR
9/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Jonny Brendas
10/1 – Kingston, NY @ Tubbys
10/31 – Limerick, Ireland @ Dolans
11/1 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelans
11/3 – London, United Kingdom @ New Cross Inn
11/10 – Cologne, Germany @ Jaki
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