Today, LA-based post-punk quartet CUFFED UP are sharing their driving and propulsive new single “Bonnie,” as well as well as announcing their new EP Asymmetry, out on October 22nd via Royal Mountain Records (Alvvays, Wild Pink, METZ). “Bonnie” sees vocalists & guitarists Ralph Torrefranca and Sapphire Jewell trading vocals amidst a relentless onslaught of soaring guitars and crashing drums and bass via Joe Liptock and Victor Ordonez.
The band explains that “”Bonnie” is an anti-love anthem about the grief and pitfalls of a serious relationship crumbling due to lies and deceit. This is explored through the eyes of Bonnie (of Bonnie & Clyde fame), in an alternative universe where Clyde selfishly leaves Bonnie for dead. Bonnie is arrested and she decides to give Clyde up to the cops out of pure spite. Not because he left her in a dangerous situation — purely because of the end of their romantic, albeit toxic relationship.” With a video directed by Torrefranca (an award-winning filmmaker outside of Cuffed Up), it stars himself and Jewell in a role-reversal swapping Bonnie and Clyde.
Already seeing support for the EP from outlets like SPIN, Beats Per Minute, Buzz Bands LA, KEXP, KCRW in Los Angeles and Double J in Australia, Cuffed Up are heading out on a full US tour as main support for The Joy Formidable. Beginning in Seattle on 11/26, it will make stops in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia along the way, ending in Burlington on 12/18. Full routing below.
For Asymmetry, Cuffed Up paired up with producer Brad Wood (Touché Amoré, Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair) spending a week honing the songs through experimentation with sounds and ideas and the result is a collaborative effort that tackles one’s own mortality, abandonment in relationships and reckoning with shame. It expands on their refreshing self-titled debut that saw love from the likes of KEXP, NME, DIY, Bandcamp, and The Line Of Best Fit, as well as Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6), Daniel P Carter (BBC Radio 1) and John Kennedy (Radio X) and a supporting run with Silversun Pickups.
Cohesive yet expansive, soaring yet direct, Asymmetry draws lines across the globe to the burgeoning post-punk scene in the UK, while also leaning into ‘90s indie rock and grunge, a loud and rhythmic rainbow of post-punk that is fluid and versatile. Whether it’s the aforementioned “Bonnie”, Torrefranca’s brutal reckoning with his own health struggles on “Terminal”, the inventive freeform of Jewell’s guitars in “Canaries” or Ordonez and Liptock’s fidgeting and dexterous rhythms in “One By One”, Asymmetry is a line in the sand for Cuffed Up, a declaration of intent from the young band who are poised to breakout from their West Coast home.
“Bonnie” is out now on Royal Mountain Records. Asymmetry is out on October 22nd through Royal Mountain Records.
Tour Dates:
11/26 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
11/27 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
11/29 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
11/30 – The Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
12/02 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
12/04 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
12/05 – The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
12/07 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN
12/09 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
12/10 – A&R Music Hall – Columbus, OH
12/11 – Thunderbird Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA
12/12 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
12/13 – The Sinclair – Boston, MA
12/14 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
12/16 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
12/17 – Empire Underground – Albany, NY
12/18 – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge – Burlington, VT
“Gut-punching, guitar-pounding, off-kilter post-punk” SPIN
“The track is catchy and riotous at once, finding time for slicing riffs and pounding drums betwixt Jewell’s commanding presence. The band lands in a sweet, balanced spot between punk and alternative, splitting the difference between the likes of Sonic Youth and Placebo.” Beats Per Minute
“A post-punk scorcher…a moral imperative to pay attention” Buzz Bands LA
