Listen: Porches - 'Joker'

Image credit: Jason Al-Taan

After returning last month with the fuzzy, grungy and downright addictive sounds of Rag, today New York’s Aaron Maine has announced his sixth studio album as Porches, Shirt, alongside a fresh single of country-influenced indie sounds and a touching music video for Joker.

In tasty contrast to the more rocking sounds of Rag, Joker packs a fat four-to-the-floor kick drum and mix-cutting-claps on the two alongside some cleverly panned acoustic guitar strums and swirling synths as Maine’s subtly auto tuned vocals deliver a tale of a boy and his dog - or is that a girl in a well?

Meanwhile, the music video for Joker (directed by Nick Harwood alongside director of photography Ben Carey) takes these lyrics to the silver screen, portraying Maine exploring the gorgeous surrounds of a farm with his dog, before the video takes a melancholic twist at the end.

This dark twist is sure to be a theme on Shirt, described as “a rock album that oscillates between reality and make-believe to reflect both the innocence of suburban youth and the frayed reality of adulthood. A fusion of chaotic impulses, insatiable desires, and a perpetual yearning, Shirt plays with the tension between one's person and persona – the weight of your dreams crashing up against your reality.”

With Shirt said to be the heaviest Porches album to date, packing grungy fuzzed out guitars warm-yet-gutturally punching drums and bass alongside calm passages for some dynamic contrast, it’s curious to see just how Joker will fit into the album.

Finally, Porches has also announced a massive North American tour during October and November, after a September tour of the UK and Europe - all dates below and check out the sights and sounds of Joker:

Porches' new album Shirt is out September 13 via Domino

PORCHES ON TOUR

UK/EU
9/18 - Munich, DE @ Kranhalle
9/19 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club
9/20-21 - Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival
9/22 - Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
9/23 - Bruxelles, BE @ Botanique
9/24 - Paris, FR @ Point Éphémère
9/26 - Brighton, UK @ Chalk
9/27 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla
9/28 - Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
9/30 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
10/1 - Birmingham, UK @ Mama Roux’s
10/2 - London, UK @ Heaven

NORTH AMERICA
10/15 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
10/16 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis
10/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/18 – Durham, NC @ Motorco
10/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
10/21 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
10/22 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/24 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam
10/25 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
10/26 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
10/28 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/31 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
11/1 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
11/2 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
11/6 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365
11/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
11/9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
11/12 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
11/13 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s
11/15 - Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre
11/16 - Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi
11/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

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