[Cover photo credit to Izzie Austin]
Melbourne-based 60s-influenced Punk band The Murlocs have announced new studio album, Rapscallion, due out September 16th on ATO Records. The 12-track collection has been described as “a coming-of-age novel in an album form” which has been partly inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s own adolescence as a “nomadic skate kid”.
The concept of the album follows the nameless hero through an ill-fated adventure as a train stow-away, which we find in lead single “Virgin Criminal”, out now.
Kenny-Smith adds:
It’s about him doing his first crime, ripping off a convenience store, and getting off on the thrill of being an outlaw.
Self-produced by the band in the early stages of the pandemic, Rapscallion was recorded remotely in the home studios of Kenny-Smith (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Callum Shortal (guitar), Matt Blach (drums), Cook Craig (bass), and Tim Karmouche (keys). A truly dynamic musical collective, all five members also perform in other bands: Kenny-Smith and Craig each play in King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Shortal plays guitar in ORB, and Karmouche and Blach are frontmen for Crepes and Beans, respectively.
In contrast to the Garage-Rock sound of their 2021 album, Bittersweet Demons, this collection channels Stoner-Metal and primitive Post-Punk. The Murlocs have toured supporting such acts as Pixies, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees. The band recently announced an extensive North American tour kicking off at LEVITATION in Austin, TX and making stops in NYC, Philadelphia, Seattle, LA, Chicago and more. Tickets go on-sale July 15 @ 9amPT/12pmET.
North American Tour Dates
10/29: Austin, TX @ LEVITATION ^
Stubb’s Outdoor – Waller Creek Amphitheater
10/31: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion #
11/2: Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
11/7: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
11/9: New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
11/10: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair *
11/11: Montreal, QC – Fairmount Theatre *
11/12: Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club *
11/14: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
11/15: Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
11/16: St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
11/17: Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge *
11/18: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
11/20: Boise, ID @ Neurolux *
11/22: Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
11/23: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre *
11/25: Portland, OR @ Star Theater *
11/27: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
11/28: Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s *
11/29: Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s *
12/2: Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
^ w/ King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
# w/ King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Leah Senior
* w/ Grace Cummings
