[Cover photo credit to Andy Jon]
Montreal-based seven-piece Japanese Psych-Rock band TEKE::TEKE have announced a highly anticipated North American tour, which includes the band’s first ever shows in the United States. Their debut album Shirushi was released earlier this year via Kill Rock Stars and the tour will kick off in January of 2022.
To coincide with the announcement, they have also shared a new video for “Kala Kala,” Shirushi’s lead single. “Kala Kala,” much like TEKE::TEKE, is an onomatopoeia. Here it implies the sound of ‘rattling’ or ‘clattering’. The lyrics, which vocalist Maya Kuroki wrote, explore the theme of “identity, gender, and the ambiguity of it all”.
Guitarist Serge Nakauchi-Pelletier explains:
“Cluttering refers to the sound of masks changing fast, or a spinning wheel, or anything that moves in a kind of cycle. It’s just an image I had when thinking about identity and everybody’s quest for one, or quest for some kind of meaning as a living being. For yet another DIY video, we just wanted to go crazy with the visuals to match the energy of the music, using Maya’s colorful illustrations.”
After initially forming as a tribute band for Japanese guitar legend Takeshi Terauchi, TEKE::TEKE decided that they had to tear up their surf-tinged covers and build something new. Since then, the band has embraced “classic Japanese balladry and Brazilian psychedelia” and more. Fusing everything from traditional Japanese instrumentation to Punk guitar, TEKE::TEKE have created their own musical universe.
Tour Dates
Jan. 13 Ottawa, ON @ Club Saw
Jan. 14 Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
Jan. 20 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Jan. 26 Winnipeg, MB @ Winterruption Festival – West End Cultural
Jan. 27 Regina, SK @ Winterruption Festival – Artesian
Jan. 28 Saskatoon, SK @ Winterruption Festival – Amigos
Jan. 29 Calgary, AB @ Big Winter Classic Festival – Broken City
Feb. 1 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
Feb. 2 Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Feb. 3 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Feb. 5 Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers (Free Show)
Feb. 9 Denton, TX @ University Union Lyceum (University of North Texas)
