Los Angeles-based black metal quartet Agriculture use sonic extremes to illuminate the paths and experiences that most people will never experience or even notice. Originally founded by Kern Haug and Dan Heyer while playing in LA’s noise scene, the foursome was completed when Richard Chowenhill and Leah Levinson joined the roster, and the band developed their gothic metallurgy. Their forthcoming album, The Spiritual Sound, continues their ascent (or descent, depending on how you look at it) through the mires and murky atmospheres they’ve laid claim to on previous releases. Their music is as ink black as a moonless midnight sky and just as unnerving in its beauty.
On their new single, “The Weight”, the band chronicles the struggles and prejudices that queer individuals face every day. There is a righteous fury to the song’s sonic barrage, a feeling of necessary cauterization. But there is also a distant hope held tight, a desire for things to be better, to know that they can be better. It’s a fight, and Agriculture are ready to stand their ground. Voices are torn and twisted; guitars are left in splinters and the environment is left in ruin as they fight for the right of anyone to exist and love without condition.
“‘The Weight’ is part of a series of songs on the album that bears witness to queer life,” explains Levinson. “It was written reflecting on a particular month last year when so much seemed heightened. It seemed like many of my friends were being harassed in public—both verbally and physically—for being trans, for being queer, and/or for being women (it’s not always clear which). This was also a time when I was feeling a lot of love and a lot of community. I wanted this song and the songs around it to honestly reflect both these elements. I wanted to write about transness but didn’t want to rely on political aphorisms and indulgent images of suffering. I wanted to paint a holistic portrait of queer life.“
Listen to the song below and also check out the band’s upcoming tour dates.
Tour dates:
Sep 3 Bristol, UK — The Exchange
Sep 4 Brighton, UK — Dust
Sep 5 London, UK — Oslo
Sep 6 Manchester, UK — White Hotel
Sep 7 Newcastle, UK — The Cluny 2
Sep 9 Leeds, UK — Brudenell Social Club
Sep 11 Dublin, IE — Workman’s Club
Sep 12 Cork, IE — Nudes
Sep 13 Belfast, NIR — Voodoo
Sep 14 Glasgow, SC — CORE. Festival
Sep 16 Paris, FR — Point Ephemere
Sep 17 Kortrijk, BE — Wilde Westen
Sep 18 Haarlem, NL — Patronaat
Oct 8 Brooklyn, NY — Union Pool (Record Release Show)
Oct 27 San Antonio, TX — Paper Tiger $
Oct 28 Austin, TX — Mohawk $
Oct 30 Atlanta, GA — Masquerade $
Oct 31 Saxapahaw, NC — Haw River Ballroom $
Nov 01 Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore $
Nov 02 Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer $
Nov 04 Louisville, KY — Zanzabar
Nov 06 Oklahoma City, OK — 89th Street
Nov 08 Albuquerque, NM — Launchpad
Nov 09 Phoenix, AZ — Valley Bar
Nov 11 Denver, CO — Hi-Dive
Nov 13 Salt Lake City, UT — The State Room
Nov 14 Boise, ID — Neurolux
Nov 16 Seattle, WA — Madame Lou’s
Nov 18 Vancouver, BC — Fox Cabaret
Nov 19 Portland, OR — Mississippi Studios
Nov 21 Sacramento, CA — Cafe Colonial
Nov 22 San Francisco, CA — The Chapel
Dec 04 San Diego, CA — Soda Bar
Dec 05 Los Angeles, CA — Lodge Room
$ with Boris
The Spiritual Sound is due out October 3 on The Flenser. You can pre-order the album here. Follow the band on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
