Shoegaze duo Curling has announced their new studio album No Guitar due out on August 11th, 2023. The band’s cross-continental founders Bernie Gelman (Bay Area) and Jojo Brandel (Japan) have also unveiled their lead single “Hi-Elixir” alongside an official video created by Cyote and Jeff Liu.
The track was written in Gelman’s childhood home after the passing of his father and just as the pandemic hit. He struggled with lyrics until he saw his dog, Lily, peacefully napping. The song is “a reassuring lullaby to his canine companion and a reflection on not dwelling in misery.”
Bringing “fresh spontaneity” to their collaborative process for No Guitar, the duo found new possibilities.
Gelman explains:
We’ve found a middle ground in our tastes. I’m very much a perfectionist, so when I come to our meetings, I’m planning things out in advance, whereas Jojo is a lot more freeform. There were plenty of moments throughout this record where we put aside ego simply to serve the song.
Brandel adds:
We’ve actually gotten better at idea-sharing than we were before. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve become more comfortable with working with each others’ songs.
No Guitar has thematic undertones such as “isolation, romantic heartbreak and the loss of a loved one.” Gelman and Brandel are joined for the first time by drummer Kynwyn Sterling. Fans can experience their live performance on tour this Fall supporting Nation Of Language in Portland and Vancouver.
8/11: Portland, OR @ Fixin’ To
8/12: Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
8/13: Portland, OR @ Gloomhouse
8/14: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater ^
8/16: Nevada City, CA @ TBD
8/17: Upland, CA @ Hyrule Temple
8/18: Oakland, CA @ Oakland Secret
8/19: Seattle, WA @ Central Saloon
8/20: Centralia, WA @ Space Place House
^ = w/ Nation of Language
