CocoRosie, earth's enduringly outré sister duo, will release its sixth studio album this week. Stream Heartache City in full below, exclusively, and preorder here before it comes out September 18th (physical copies will be available next month).
The record is a return, of sorts, to the spare, kitchen-sink production of their unforgettable debut, La maison de mon rêve—perhaps more spare than ever. "We needed to break our addiction to technology," the band told The FADER over email, of their rekindled four-track approach. "It was an experiment to see what kind of new stories would emerge in our songs. The poetry and the rhythms became more complex and deep as the production became simplified."
I keep returning to the opening track, "Forget Me Not," where production is comprised almost entirely of a toy xylophone and drum machine, with strings for just a second and the slightest hints of some rattling metal—a can opener or half-unbuilt typewriter. I still remember our first phone number… if only I could remember you. Partly recorded in the old French farmhouse that's been the base for lots of CocoRosie's music, Heartache City was finished off in Buenos Aires, which the band says "added to our already teen-romance-nostalgic-mood."
If CocoRosie sounds like no one else, that's only natural. "We were raised with an anti-authoritative way of being," they wrote. "We listen to our dream-life and exploit our own fantasies." But maybe the explanation's even simpler than that. In an interview a few years ago, they said they hardly ever listen to music. I asked if that was till the case. "More than ever (never)" they replied. "But we do love Karaoke. My favorite song to do is 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' or, previously, 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun.'" Hear them do exactly that—have fun—below.
Tour dates:
9/17-20 - Oakdale, CA @ Symbiosis Gathering
Tue 9/22 - Solano Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Wed 9/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater
Fri 9/25 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Sat 9/26 - Kingston, NY @ BSP Kingston
Sun 9/27 - Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
Wed 9/30 - Mexico City, MEX @ Teatro Blanquita
Fri 10/2 - Lima, Peru @ Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
Sat 10/3 - Bogota, Columbia @ Teatro Ecci
Mon 10/5 - Buenos Aires City, Argentina @ Niceto Club
Wed 10/7 - Montevideo, Uruguay @ La Transtienda
Thu 10/8 - Santiago, Chile @ Teatro Cariola
Fri 10/9 - Cordoba, Argentina @ Paraguay Club
