Contact
- US press: Daniel Gill at Force Field PR
[email: daniel@forcefieldpr.com]
This July, 1990s shoegaze icons Swirlies will embark on a two-week tour to celebrate 25 years with no official break-up, a new 7″, and the anticipated vinyl reissue of their Blondertongue Audiobaton LP (1993), one of the most influential records from the early US shoegaze scene.
Swirlies’ last US appearances were in support of Kurt Vile & The Violators in 2013.
The lineup will include founding members Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vocals), Seana Carmody (guitar/vocals), and Andy Bernick (bass/keyboards). The shows will be Seana’s first appearances with the band since 2001. Accompanying the original lineup will be longtime members Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) and Rob Laakso (Kurt Vile & the Violators) on drums and guitar respectively. Both have played in Swirlies since the mid-1990s. Elliott Malvas (You’re Jovian) will join on additional guitar and keyboards.
A new, limited edition 7-inch record entitled Swirlies’ Magic Strop: Orca Vs. Dragon, containing three tracks from UK radio sessions, will be released just prior to the tour on the band’s own Sneaky Flute Empire label.
Also anticipated this summer is a Taang! Records vinyl reissue of their classic Blondertongue Audiobaton LP.
Bio
This September, 90s shoegaze veterans Swirlies will join Nothing to play a series of dates in the South and East Coast, including their first Texas dates in 15 years. The tour will coincide with a vinyl issue of their 2017 Part Time Punks session on KXLU on Sneaky Flute Empire and follows their West Coast tour from summer 2017.
The lineup will include founding member Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vocals), Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) on drums, Deb Warfield (Gold Muse) on guitar/keyboards/vocals, and Elliott Malvas (You’re Jovian) on guitar and keyboards, and Wesley Bunch (bass/keyboards). Founding member Andy Bernick (bass/keyboards) will also join on select dates.
Swirlies’ Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP (1993), recently reached #11 on Pitchfork’s list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time.
In January 2016, Swirlies were included on Cherry Red’s definitive box-set of the early shoegaze movement: Still in a Dream.
In July 2016, Swirlies released a new song (“Fantastic Trumpets Forever”) exclusive to the Joyful Noise Recordings’ 2016 Flexi Disc Series.
In October 2016, the Swirlies’ 1993 classic Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP was finally repressed on vinyl. It is currently available for purchase online and in local record stores. Copies will also be available for direct purchase from the band during the tour.
Swirlies formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1990, and quickly established themselves as central players in the nascent US shoegaze scene (Lilys, Velocity Girl, etc.). Between 1990 and 1992, Swirlies released singles on Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Simple Machines, and Nervous Records. In 1992, the band signed to Taang!, where they issued number of EPs and LPs, including the early singles compilation What To Do About Them EP (1992), the shoegaze classic Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP (1993), the epic They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons LP (1996), and the remix LP Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music (1998). In the early 2000s, the band released The Yes Girls LP (2000) on its own Sneaky Flute Empire label and Cats of the Wild: Volume Two (2003) on Bubble Core. Since 2003, the band has continued to release cassettes, CDs, 7”s, and downloadable albums (e.g., the Swirlies’ Magic Strop series) on Sneaky Flute Empire.
The band’s members have collaborated with a number of noteworthy artists. Damon Tutunjian produced Mew’s first LP, co-wrote a number of their songs, and has performed (guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards) on the majority of their recordings. Adam Pierce has played with Mice Parade, HiM, Philistines Jr. and múm. Rob Laakso has played bass, guitar, and keyboards for Kurt Vile and the Violators since 2011.
Blondertongue Audiobaton (Vinyl Reissue)
[Click artwork for high res]
1. Bell (Prelude)
2. Bell
3. Vigilant Always
4. His Love Just Washed Away
5. His Life of Academic Freedom
6. Pancake
7. Jeremy Parker
8. Park the Car by the Side of the Road
9. Tree Chopped Down
10. Wrong Tube
11. Wait Forever
Pics (click for high res)
Photo Credit: Swirlies