Detroit heroes Protomartyr are back with news of a new album called Formal Growth in the Desert, arriving on June 2 through Domino. They’ve also shared the lead single “Make Way”.
The new song will also be the opener of Formal Growth in the Desert, and, fittingly, Joe Casey introduces us to the record with the foreboding lines: “welcome to the haunted Earth / the living afterlife.” “Make Way” is classic Protomartyr; quietly caustic and atmospheric verses, before that hammer blow chorus punctures the creepy serenity and brings Casey’s cold visions into stark relief.
The unsettling sci-fi video for “Make Way” is something to behold in itself. Director Trevor Naud says:
“There’s a deliberate through-line between the videos for Make Way and 2020’s Worm In Heaven. The two songs feel partnered with each other. So I wanted the videos to feel like they exist in the same world. There are layers of experiments happening–all within a closed environment. We don’t know what’s happened to the world outside, but there’s an undertone that things maybe aren’t quite right.”
Watch “Make Way” below or find it on streamers.
Protomartyr’s new album Formal Growth in the Desert arrives on June 2 through Domino (pre-order/save). You can find the band on Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Tour dates:
Sat 11th March – Soupfest, Columbus
Sun 12th March – JJ’s Bohemia, Chattanooga
Mon 13th March – Gasa Gasa, New Orleans
Wed 15th March– SXSW, Laneway Official Showcase @ Lucille, Austin
Thurs 16th March- SXSW, Levitation @ Hotel Vegas, Austin
Thurs 16th March- SXSW, Brooklyn Vegan @ Empire, Austin
Fri 17th March- SXSW, Third Man @ 13th Floor, Austin
Sat 18th March – Texas Theater, Dallas
Mon 20th March – Rebel, Phoenix
Tues 21st March – Casbah, San Diego
Wed 22nd March – Teragram, Los Angeles
Fri 24th March – Temblor Brewing, Bakersfield
Sat 25th March – Holland Project, Reno
Sun 26th March – Treefort, Boise
Tues 28th March – Hi-Dive, Denver
Wed 29th March – Slowdown, Omaha
Thurs 30th March – Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Fri 31st March – Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Tues 13th June – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Wed 14th June – Fairmount, Montreal
Fri 16th June – Bowery Ballroom, New York
Sat 17th June – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia
Tues 20th June – Black Cat, Washington
Wed 21st June – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
Thurs 22nd June – Terminal West, Atlanta
Fri 23rd June – Blue Room, Nashville
Sat 24th June – Off Broadway, St Louis
Mon 26th June – 89th Street, Oklahoma
Wed 28th June – 191 Toole, Tucson
Thurs 29th June – Observatory, Santa Ana
Sat 1st July – The Chapel, San Francisco
Sun 2nd July – Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz
Wed 5th July – Wonder Ballroom, Portland
Thurs 6th July – Cobalt, Vancouver
Fri 7th July – Crocodile, Seattle
Sat 8th July – Lucky You, Spokane
Tues 11th July – Turf Club, St Paul
Wed 12th July – High Noon, Madison
Thurs 13th July – Thalia Hall, Chicago
Sun 6th August – Zoom, Frankfurt
Mon 7th August – Paradiso, Amsterdam
Wed 9th August – Concorde 2, Brighton
Thurs 10th August – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Fri 11th August – Clwb Ifor Back, Cardiff
Sat 12th August – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Mon 14th August – Effenaar, Eindhoven
Tues 15th August – Indiego Glocksee, Hannover
Thurs 17th August – Loppen, Copenhagen
Fri 18th August – Parkenfestivalen, Bodo
Sat 18th August – Pstereo Festival, Trondheim
Thurs 26th October – Electric Ballroom, London
