Following the recent release of their first new studio album in more than six years, indie-rock pioneers Sebadoh are set to embark on a seven date UK tour this Autumn.

Act Surprised continues the soulful collaboration that's defined the band since 1991's Sebadoh III and 1994's Bakesale. The new batch of songs reaffirms how vital the creative partnership is between members Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein, and Bob D'Amico.

When Barlow recently moved back to his home state of Massachusetts following a series of personal changes, he pressed the restart button and, in time, felt the incentive to reach out to Jason and Bob again to reunite and start work on a new album. The trio convened and began recording in their original stomping grounds in Northampton, MA where they first formed back in 1988. Along with producer/sound engineer Justin Pizzoferatto, Sebadoh have delivered one of the best records of their career. Act Surprised is a 15-song collection that's as dynamic and visceral as anything the band has ever committed to tape.

Touring the US since its release, Sebadoh embark on their European tour this autumn with seven UK live dates from late September to early October.

UK Tour Dates 2019

28 Sep: Patterns, Brighton, UK

29 Sep: Scala, London, UK

01 Oct: The Fleece, Bristol, UK

02 Oct: O2 Academy 2, Birmingham, UK

03 Oct: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK

04 Oct: Broadcast, Glasgow, UK

05 Oct: Academy 2, Manchester, UK

LA newcomers The Paranoyds share the title track from their forthcoming debut album, Carnage Bargain, due for September 13 release on Suicide Squeeze. The album sees the four-piece deliver a raucous blend of garage rock grit, new wave swagger, classic horror film soundtrack campiness, and a myriad of other left-of-centre influences.

“People want things all the time—there seems to be a constant manic need of consuming, now more so than ever. ‘Carnage Bargain’ is about the people higher up wanting to get all this evil work done at a wholesale price,” bassist and vocalist Staz Lindes says. “It’s impossible for us to get through a day without thinking of the thousands of migrant children in cages at the border alone, some without proper beds, soap, toothbrushes, and with lights on 24/7. We can not continue to ignore the black lives, young and old, taken by police almost every week. The plastic crisis. The mass shootings. The extreme need of prison reform. The opioid crisis. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The list goes on, and the hole gets deeper. Sometimes I can’t sleep and I wonder: do they sleep well in the White House? What else can I do as a privileged citizen? They want to get a Carnage Bargain. I want to pick up garbage. We’re living in the dystopian future. Our lives are completely tracked and programmed, our extension of ourselves is a handheld computer with a microphone and camera that stays on while were unaware, and, on top of everything, the extreme right is gaining continuous world power”.

It’s ironic that the band’s moniker winds up being an apt summary of the band’s general outlook on technology and modern culture given that The Paranoyds’ humble beginnings can be traced back to a friendship forged between Staz Lindes (bass/vocals) and Laila Hashemi (keys/vocals) over Myspace in their early teens. Bonded by a shared interest in local underground music, the pair eventually moved their online friendship into the real world. Laila’s childhood friend Lexi Funston was brought into the fold and the first vestiges of The Paranoyds began to take shape. “We would all go to our friends’ shows and it hit us that we could start a band and play shows too,” Funston says. With the addition of drummer David Ruiz in 2015, the band found the perfect personnel for their sonic balance of jubilant energy and foreboding undercurrents.

Carnage Bargain tracklisting:

Face First

Carnage Bargain

Girlfriend Degree

Egg Salad

Bear

Hungry Sam

Courtney

Laundry

Heather Doubtfire

Ratboy