Huge thanks for all the love around BEAR over these last four weeks, and for coming out to the October shows! We had a blast. We're currently on the road again, starting this new run in Austin tomorrow, November 7th! We're out until the 23rd, covering all kinds of ground in between! Check our dates and we'll see you at a loud rock venue near you.
We have one more video to share with you next week, a special one. We'll be back in touch when it's out, but for now, we can't wait to play the songs from BEAR for you!
We're beyond thrilled to share our fourth album, BEAR, with you today! A project about belonging, being an outsider, and embracing the margins. It’s yours now, and we hope you love it as much as we do!
We co-produced it with our friend Kurt Ballou, who also recorded the instrumental performances and mixed the project! Vocals were recorded by Buick Audra, and additional engineering was done by Jerry Roe. Zack Weeks assisted at GodCity, and Brad Boatright mastered. A bear. We're so proud.
We made a video for the newest single, DRAIN, which you can watch here!
If you're interested in any of the press surrounding BEAR, we were just featured in SPIN, and here's a conversation we had with Jedd Beaudoin for his NPR / KMUW podcast, Into Music!
We're currently on the road supporting the new record! We started in Kansas City last night and we're on our way to Tulsa for tonight's show! Our full updated tour schedule is below; we can't wait to see all of you!
We hope BEAR finds you where you are, and that it makes you feel like you belong somewhere, because you do. You belong with us!
WITH GRATITUDE, Buick Audra & Jerry Roe, Friendship Commanders
First, we want to thank everyone who has already pre-ordered our forthcoming album, BEAR, coming October 10th on Magnetic Eye Records! Also, thanks to all who have listened to, watched, shared, and interacted with us about the first two singles, KEEPING SCORE and MELT! So glad the new work is connecting.
We're back today with another dual single, X / MIDHEAVEN! In the tradition of the first tracks released from the project, we're giving you some sugar and salt together with this new pair. The album has two sides, and these songs firmly represent each of them. Buick Audra wrote X fewer than six weeks after our friend and collaborator Steve Albini passed; she wrote it while grieving and also observing the lost generation grieve in the singular ways they do. It is a loving nod to Gen X and their genius contributions to art and culture. The video for X, directed and edited by Jerry Roe, is also premiering today alongside the two tracks; all can be found in this great piece in Everything Is Noise! And that camera Buick is shooting in the second verse? Steve's.
At the other end of the spectrum, MIDHEAVEN explores the idea of nature vs. nurture, and whether one can attribute personality and behavioral traits to astrological placements. BEAR is an album about belonging, and these tracks offer different lenses through which to view the subject; one is a more intimate perspective while the other goes wide. We hope you love them both!
If you haven't yet pre-ordered a beautiful green/black marbled vinyl copy of BEAR, we've added a new set of merch offerings! There's now a black and white album cover shirt as well as a bundle including that shirt design - both are limited edition. Grab them while they still exist!
If you'd like to read a thoughtful interview with us about the album and KEEPING SCORE / MELT, there's a brand-new one in Mundane Magazine! So grateful to be asked about the new work.
It's a big time, friends. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. We hope the new songs make you feel known, bold, and brave. Enjoy! Buick & Jerry, FC
First, hello! We're so happy to be here with you all. Hope you're okay. Better than okay! Second, we have so much to tell you! Allow us to start at the beginning.
We've signed a multiple-album deal with Magnetic Eye Records! Truly! We're so happy about it, glad to be among such a cool heavy music community, and absolutely thrilled to have a good home for our forthcoming album!
Speaking of which, BEAR will be released on October 10th through Magnetic Eye! It's an album about the ever-elusive idea of belonging—where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not. BEAR was co-produced by us—Buick Audra (guitars, vocals) and Jerry Roe (drums, bass)—along with our longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou. Pre-orders just went live!
The first dual single, KEEPING SCORE / MELT, is out everywhere today, along with dynamic videos! The video for MELT premiered in Decibel Magazine last week, and KEEPING SCORE is live today!
One last thing! Buick's solo album ADULT CHILD has been out for one full month now, and her solo electric tour dates start tomorrow, July 16th! Check her dates to see if she's coming anywhere near you!
We appreciate you more than you know, and we hope you love the new work! Buick & Jerry, FC
Hello, friends! We're thrilled to share BILL - The Steve Albini Mixes with you today! These are Steve's original analog mixes of our second album, beautiful in their loud, singular glory. They're being released today to celebrate Steve's life and work on what would have been his 62nd birthday. We hope you love them!
New Noise premiered the album today and published a new essay by Buick about what made working with Steve so special. It's called "It Wasn't Just the Mics; It Was the Man. Why I Loved Making the BILL Album With Steve Albini." Enjoy!
🔊Buy physical media & high-quality downloads for this release here!
🔊Watch the visualizer for OUTLIVE YOU (Steve Albini Mix) here!
🔊We're celebrating the release this Friday, July 26th at DRKMTTR in Nashville. Please join us! Get tickets here!
AND THEN: we're going on tour! Assorted dates throughout August, September, and October have just been announced! Check to see if we're hitting your city - we'd LOVE to see you!
We'd give anything for Steve to be here among us. But in his absence, we hope you'll celebrate his life and work by turning this music up. Way up. Thank you, Steve! And thanks to all of you for being here with us, we appreciate you! Buick & Jerry, FC
BILL - The Steve Albini Mixes Produced by Steve Albini and Friendship Commanders Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, Chicago IL Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Portland OR
All songs by Buick Audra (Buick Audra Music / BMI)
Buick Audra - guitar and vocals Jerry Roe - drums, bass, and harmony vocals
Front cover photo by Zach Barocas, color edited by Buick Audra Graphic design and layout by Buick Audra and Ric Simenson
Today is the day! Our brand new album, MASS, is out everywhere, at last! We're incredibly proud of this work and hope it fills your hearts with loud, fuzzy melodies. We recorded the project in Salem, Massachusetts with Kurt Ballou, who also acted as co-producer. Best time ever.
MASS is an autobiographical concept record about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts. I (Buick Audra) was moved to the Boston area several times as a younger person, and my experiences there still contribute to how I move through the world today. My memories of that time and place were buried for years, but following the death of my friend Marc Orleans, I began to recover them and wrote this body of work. Jerry Roe and I brought the songs to life together. The album examines friendship, belonging, and finally putting words to what was once confusing. We hope the themes and songs resonate!
I also wrote an accompanying memoir, MASS: Essays on Memory, Language, & the State of Massachusetts. The book expands on the stories told within the music. We recommend consuming them together for maximum impact!
Our tour dates supporting MASS start tomorrow, September 30th—a day earlier than the last time we wrote! We're kicking things off in Knoxville and then we're out for six whole weeks! The Nashville album release show is at the very end of everything, on December 8th, at beloved DRKMTTR. Check our dates to see if we're coming to your town! We haven't been to the West Coast since before the pandemic, so we hope to see as many new and familiar faces as possible!
09.30 - Knoxville, TN @ Brickyard 10.01 - Gainesville, GA @ Blackstrap Rock Hall 10.05 - Asheville, NC @ The Odd 10.06 - Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe 10.07 - Richmond, VA @ Get Tight Lounge 10.08 - Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof 10.11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Century 10.12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Squirrel Hill Sports Bar 10.13 - Baltimore, MD @ The Undercroft 10.14 - West Akron, OH @ Buzzbin 10.15 - Kalamazoo, MI @ The Run Off 10.20 - Catskill, NY @ The Avalon Lounge 10.21 - Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s 10.23 - Detroit, MI @ The Old Miami 10.25 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s 11.01 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The DLC 11.02 - Reno, NV @ Alturas Bar 11.03 - Portland, OR @ Azoth Space 11.05 - Seattle, WA @ Funhouse 11.08 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill 11.09 - Petaluma, CA @ The Big Easy 11.10 - Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand 11.11 - Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing Co. 11.12 - San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club 11.14 - Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroot 11.15 - Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room 11.17 - Houston, TX @ Kickback Bar 11.25 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl 12.08 - Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR
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Jerry made a new lyric video for the sixth track on the album, WE WERE HERE! It's a beautiful collage of ALL of our videos so far, a fitting approach for the song.
We're grateful to have received some glowing press around the new album, including this epic write-up/interview in Everything Is Noise, and this great feature in The Nashville Scene!
Thank you so much for being here, for being part of what we do, and for listening. We offer you MASS, the best thing we've ever done, and we hope you love it!
If you don't yet have the language for what you want to say, you will, Buick & Jerry, FC
Hello, friends! We're elated to share the newest single from our forthcoming album MASS today! It's called STILL LIFE, and it's the fifth chapter of the story. The video, directed and edited by Jerry, is premiering at Thoughts Words Action today! The full album will be here on September 29th (pre-order here).
STILL LIFE is a composite of words and sentiments Buick heard in response to voicing her concerns at different points throughout her time in Massachusetts. Writing this song felt like a fever dream for her. The video's frenetic energy mirrors the feelings of being gaslighted, and of being told to metabolize injuries large and small. We hope the song and visuals move you!
We had an amazing time on the August tour; can't wait to head back out! There are some brand-new tour dates for the fall tour supporting MASS; check them out and get tickets here!
10.01 - Gainesville, GA @ Blackstrap Rock Hall 10.05 - Asheville, NC @ The Odd 10.06 - Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe 10.07 - Richmond, VA @ Get Tight Lounge 10.08 - Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof 10.11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Century 10.12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Squirrel Hill Sports Bar 10.13 - Baltimore, MD @ The Undercroft 10.14 - West Akron, OH @ Buzzbin 10.15 - Kalamazoo, MI @ The Run Off 10.20 - Catskill, NY @ The Avalon Lounge 10.21 - Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s 10.23 - Detroit, MI @ The Old Miami 10.25 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s 11.01 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The DLC 11.02 - Reno, NV @ Alturas Bar 11.03 - Portland, OR @ Azoth Space 11.04 - Vancouver, BC @ Black Lab 11.05 - Seattle, WA @ Funhouse 11.08 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill 11.10 - Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand 11.11 - Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing Co. 11.12 - San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club 11.14 - Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroot 11.15 - Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room 11.17 - Houston, TX @ Kickback Bar 11.25 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
MASS IS THREE WEEKS AWAYYYYYY! Grab the vinyl and accompanying memoir before they sell out! We love you, we appreciate you, and we're more than ready to share this album with you. The countdown is on! Here is some advance praise for MASS from Jedd Beaudoin of NPR / KMUW:
The LP’s lyrics amount to a soul-searching exploration of isolation, friendship and self-determination that is supported by music that alternates between the cathartic weight of doom metal and the familiarity and resolve of pop music.
The unlikely combination results in a record emotionally rewarding and deeply memorable. (An arresting spoken word track that closes out the collection is worth the journey alone.)
The next time you hear from us, the record will be here. Can't wait.
Yours in autonomy and loud riffs, Buick & Jerry, FC
We're thrilled to share VAMPIRE with you today, the fourth chapter of our forthcoming album MASS (out September 29th)! The video premiered in Decibel yesterday! VAMPIRE is the sludge R&B song in 7 you didn't know you needed, a boundary song about the kind of person who tries to take on your whole identity and then lashes out when you don't let them. About the song, Buick says:
“There was a season at the end of my time in Boston where I was being turned into The Problem by someone who wanted to control me and couldn’t; it was a moment where I could have played small and gone along with what she wanted, as I had once done. But I didn’t. I played big. I kept what was mine instead of giving it away—which included parts of my identity. And while the result was a scorched earth reality that impacts my sense of self to this day, it also ended the whole thing. I learned a valuable lesson in that season: don’t fuel the narcissists. Keep your power for yourself. It’s what they hate. And if they’re going to drag your character out in front of everyone you know, you might as well burn it all down for the warmth.”
The story is told in more detail in Buick's essay collection we're publishing alongside the album. Pre-order both here!
Our summer and fall tour dates are coming up fast! We head out for a week of shows on August 19th, and the dates supporting MASS begin on October 1st! Check the list to see if we're coming to your city, and get tickets here! We'd love to see you.
08.19 - Warren, OH @ Modern Methods Brewing Co. 08.20 - Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees 08.22 - Champaign, IL @ The Space 08.23 - Kansas City, MO @ Minibar 08.24 - Wichita, KS @ Kirby’s 08.25 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 10.01 - Gainesville, GA @ Blackstrap Rock Hall 10.05 - Asheville, NC @ The Odd 10.06 - Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe 10.07 - Richmond, VA @ Get Tight Lounge 10.08 - Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof 10.11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Century 10.12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Squirrel Hill Sports Bar 10.13 – Baltimore, MD @ The Undercroft 10.14 - West Akron, OH @ Buzzbin 10.15 - Kalamazoo, MI @ The Run Off 10.21 - Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s 10.25 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s 11.02 - Reno, NV @ Alturas Bar 11.03 - Portland, OR @ Azoth Space 11.04 - Vancouver, BC @ Black Lab 11.05 - Seattle, WA @ Funhouse 11.08 - San Francisco, CA 11.10 - Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand 11.11 - Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing Co. 11.12 - San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club 11.17 - Houston, TX @ Kickback Bar
We hope you love VAMPIRE! Thanks so much for being here! We appreciate it more than you know!
Yours in autonomy and loud riffs, Buick & Jerry, FC
We're so proud to share "FAIL" with you today, the second single from our forthcoming album. We're also excited to tell you that the album is called MASS, and you can finally pre-order it!
"FAIL" is a one-sided conversation between Buick and her longtime friend Marc Orleans who died by suicide in 2020. The song grapples with speaking about him in the past tense, hoping he knew how much she cared about and respected him when he was alive, and wondering if he can see and hear her now. The video (shot and directed by Jerry) premiered in Metal Injection yesterday, and the track is now streaming everywhere. We hope you love it. The cover is a photo of Buick at Walden Pond as a teenager, layered with a photo of Marc's hands playing his resonator guitar. The images are inverted and upside-down to express the unmooring impact of his passing.
MASS is a co-production between us and Kurt Ballou, a concept record that we're going to continue to unspool over the coming months. It feels great to share the pre-order for the physical copies of the work, as well as the book that Buick has written to accompany the music. It's called MASS: Essays on Memory, Language, & the State of Massachusetts. Both projects will be out in September. We recommend ordering them now, as there are some very limited merch offerings, including hand-rendered cyanotype prints—all numbered and signed!
Thank you for being here for chapters one and two, and we'll be back with more of the story very soon.
We're so grateful for your continued support. Enjoy "FAIL"!
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