[Cover photo credit to Sam Woywitka]
Montreal-based Japanese Psych-Rock band TEKE::TEKE have announced their upcoming West Coast tour after kicking things off with their first ever New York date on November 11th, 2022 at Brooklyn’s Public Records. They then head out to the West Coast in December, hitting LA, Portland, Seattle and finishing back across the border in Vancouver.
After the release of their debut album Shirushi, released last year via Kill Rock Stars, the run of shows will include two special Kill Rock Stars-curated nights in Portland and Seattle with the label having hand-picked the opening acts. The tour’s Vancouver date will also feature Mi’ens, a Kill Rock Stars pick, and Fhang, a project that features TEKE::TEKE bassist Mishka Stein and the band’s longtime collaborator and friend, Sam Woywitka.
Along with the announcement, the band has also shared a new video for the song “Dobugawa” from Shirushi, illustrated and animated by vocalist Maya Kuroki and edited by guitarist Serge Nakauchi Pelletier. “Dobugawa” translates as “dirty river”, which sets the scene for the “off-kilter, romantic tale about the ambiguity of identity”. The video also features English-translated subtitles, allowing audiences to further engage with the song’s meaning.
Bandmember Maya says:
Set in a poor industrialized town in 1930’s Showa-era Japan, an ambiguous couple take a stroll along a dirty river (Dobugawa) said to be filled with all the city’s hidden words. This is a very cinematic song, with elements of fantasy and surrealism. I wanted to keep the animation simple so as to give off a dark, sparse feeling of what lies beneath in contrast to what otherwise seems like a peaceful, spring afternoon.
The band are hard at work on their next album, which will come out in Summer 2023, Produced by the band and Daniel Schlett (DIIV, Booker T Jones, Ghostface Killah, Nick Hakim, War on Drugs).
Most recently the band were handpicked by The Decemberists’ Chris Funk to contribute an original song on the new Dungeons & Dragons compilation album, released by Kill Rock Stars.
Tour Dates
Nov 11 New York, NY @ Public Records
Dec 8 Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
Dec 13 Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall*
Dec 15 Seattle, WA @ Barboza*
Dec 16 Vancouver, Canada @ Wise Hall w/ Fhang & Mi’ens
* = Kill Rock Stars night
