Boston’s KRILL announced the highly anticipated release of their third full length, A Distant Fist Unclenching, due February 16th via Steak Club in the UK and EU and February 17th in the US via Exploding In Sound / Double Double Whammy back in December, and now they’re sharing their latest single “Tiger” via Rolling Stone. Recorded with Justin Pizzoferrato (DINOSAUR JR, SONIC YOUTH, SPEEDY ORTIZ), the album is their most ambitious body of work and true progression of their sound. Following last year’s fantastic Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts Into Tears EP, KRILL continue to push forward, exploring new and unknown territory throughout their expansive new record with a knotted post-punk grace and deeply philosophical charm.
A Distant Fist Unclenching is released on download and vinyl via Exploding In Sound / Double Double Whammy (US) [pre-order] and Steak Club (UK) [pre-order]. Krill begin their first European tour on 23rd February 2015. Tickets are available now.
“Tiger” is the third single from the upcoming album, a song that Rolling Stone described as “the perfect introduction to the strange world of Krill: While a sparkly guitar line dips through a muted rhythm section, Furman’s frantic, off-kilter vocals tell the story of a villager who is mauled by a tiger, even though he is liked by everyone he meets – even tigers”. The record has received a great deal of praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum, NME, Consequence of Sound, Impose, The Line of Best Fit, Impose, and many others. Further discussing the record with Rolling Stone, Krill vocalist/bassist Jonah Furman shared,
“I was thinking about how Lucky Leaves had all of this sad shit, and I believed in it and totally agree with it, but I wanted to see where you could go after that,” continuing, “The fist unclenching is what happens after a tortured moment. It’s how to move from that anxiety without being too naive or too cynical – without being happy-go-lucky or saying, ‘Fuck it, nothing matters.’
Where previous album Lucky Leaves dealt with the absolute authority of self-hatred, A Distant Fist Unclenching has a wider spectrum of themes. Singer/bassist Jonah Furman says: “We were trying to somehow rise above the questions of “Am I good or bad? Do I deserve love or hatred?” and think about what underlies those questions. The fist unclenches, something happens after pain, anger and anxiety”.
Without losing the idiosyncratic nature of earlier recordings, Krill, comprised of Furman, Aaron Ratoff (guitar), and Ian Becker (drums), have consciously refined their sound. Despite the clear attention to detail throughout A Distant Fist Unclenching, the album remains lyrically compelling, complex, unusual and full of the fervent intensity of their earlier work – underpinned by Jonah’s unpredictable vocal nuances, which range from a fragile whisper to a manic bark. A Distant Fist Unclenching is thematically dense, yet perhaps the bands most accessible and diverse record yet.
KRILL on tour:
02/06 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Porches., Frankie Cosmos & Sheer Mag
02/23 – Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s
02/24 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
02/25 – London, UK @ Old Blue Last
02/27 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
02/28 – Bristol, UK @ Start the Bus
03/01 – Brighton, UK @ Green Dore Store w/ Alex G
03/03 – Paris, France @ Espace B
03/04 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix Bar
03/05 – Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat
03/06 – Zeewolde, Netherlands @ Where The Wild Things Are Festival
03/07 – Berlin, Germany @ Bang Bang Club
03/13 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott LP release w/ Palehound, Lair & Cloud Becomes Your Hand
03/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn LP release w/ LVL UP, & Cloud Becomes Your Hand
03/15 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Crayola House w/ Ava Luna
03/16 – Raleigh, NC @ Neptune’s w/ Ava Luna
03/17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Cleaners w/ Ava Luna & Warehouse
03/18 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia w/ Ava Luna & Native America
03/19-3/22 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
