The Lawrence Arms' New Album Metropole Is Out Today
The first new album in 8 years from Chicago-bred trio The Lawrence Arms, Metropole, is out today on Epitaph Records.
This is the band's sixth studio release and most dynamic to date. An album partially inspired by and loosely structured after late-90's/early 2000's hip-hop records - a particular favorite being Outkast's Aquemini. With close listen, sound samples are heard throughout the album. They're recordings of street musicians, captured by the band on their cell phones. A horn played by a man on his back on the middle of the road, so drunk he couldn't even see. Or faint piano sounds, that was a grand piano someone was playing in the middle of the street. Everything from accordion to bagpipes help capture the urban isolation, the "stranger-in-a-strange-land kind of shit," that saturates so much of the record according to Kelly.
Metropole also sees core members Brendan Kelly (vocals/bass) and Chris McCaughan (vocals/guitar) exploring a newfound love for storytelling through songwriting. Take the bravely personal lyrics of "Seventeener (17th and 37th)" "I never / Wanted to die old / But it's too late now / My heart has grown so cold". Or on "Never Fade Away" with "Don't know where I'm headed / But I know where I've been". But the band hasn't grown too serious over time, with song titles like "Paradise Shitty" and "Drunk Tweets", fans are assured that the Lawrence Arms are still the masters of juvenile humor.
Metropole is available for purchase now by visiting: href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/metropole/id738299913">iTunes> or the Epitaph Store. Fans are invited to catch The Lawrence Arms on their long-anticipated US headlining tour this February and March. Tickets are on-sale now and moving fast.
THE LAWRENCE ARMS TOUR DATES
Feb 14 Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock Live
Feb 15 San Diego, CA - Casbah
Feb 16 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
Feb 17 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Feb 19 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Feb 20 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Feb 21 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Feb 22 Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
Mar 03 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
Mar 04 Pawtucket, RI - The Met
Mar 05 New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
Mar 06 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
Mar 07 Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
Mar 08 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage