Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Today, Author & Punisher treat fans to a third and final preview of the San Diego-based outfit’s forthcoming album (Krüller, out Feb. 11 via Relapse Records) with today’s release of “Blacksmith.”
“’Blacksmith’ is a track that I co-wrote with the Krüller producer Jason Begin (Vytear),” explains Tristan Shone. “This one is a bit of an adventure where we go from my slow bending drones and morph into Jason’s jungle and breaks with the same halftime bassline and vocals tying it together. Lyrically, this is an ode to Black women-led movements who have been fearlessly leading the way against oppression in this country for a long time.”
Shone began work on Krüller after returning from his opening slot with Tool across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, before being cut short due to the March 2020 lockdowns. “Melody has been and is still a part of my sound,” says Shone. “I’ve always bathed them in a lot of reverb, delay, and distortion, though. This time around, I was bothered by the wall of distortion I had created. I wanted a little more clarity. I wanted to refine the sound. I wanted to step back from my own show and analyze it a bit. I had all these competing distortions that I wanted to streamline. I like contrast and wanted the vocals to be immediately noticeable. There’s something about mixing punishing drones and rumble with a mellow thing on top that I really like on Krüller.”
Two already-released singles: “Drone Carrying Dread,” and “Maiden Star,” have showcased the new avenues Shone is taking his music.
Part of the Krüller revamp included refining the machines that have become synonymous with Author & Punisher. As a result, Shone is also launching a bespoke audio gear company called Drone Machines to coincide with the release of Krüller. The gear company launch follows nearly two decades of Author & Punisher honing in on his craft – meticulously inventing, machining, experimenting, and creating custom musical instruments for his incredible live performances and recordings.
Krüller pre-orders are available now (https://orcd.co/authorandpunisher-kruller) with the 52-minute collection available on a selection of limited-edition vinyl variants that tie into the color palette of the album artwork, CD, cassette and digitally.
Author & Punisher have added several U.S. tour dates while simultaneously moving the forthcoming European headlining tour to Spring. The planned U.K. dates have been cancelled. An overseas Fall trek with Perturbator and Health begins on Oct. 6.
Tour dates:
March 6 Los Angeles, CA Resident
March 8 Seattle, WA Clock Out Lounge
March 9 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater (Lounge)
March 10 Oakland, CA Elbo Room Jack London
March 28 Warsaw, Poland Hydrozagadka
March 29 Wroclaw, Poland Akademia
March 30 Prague, Czech Republic Modra Vopice
March 31 Bratislava, Slovakia Randal Club
April 1 Zagreb, Croatia Mocvara
April 2 Linz, Austria Kapu
April 3 Luzern, Switzerland Sedel
April 4 Milan, Italy Legend Club
April 5 Montpellier, France The Black Sheep
April 6 Barcelona, Spain Bóveda
April 7 Toulouse, France L’Ecluse Saint Pieere
April 9 Poitiers, France Le Confront Moderne
April 11 Antwerp, Belgium Kavka
April 13 Vilnius, Lithuania Gallery 1986
April 14 Riga, Latvia Melna Piektdiena
April 15 Tallin, Estonia Sveeta Bar
April 16 St. Petersburg, Russia Latochka
April 17 Moscow, Russie Bumazhnaya Fabrika
Mvtant opens March 28 to April 11
May 11 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
May 13 Austin, TX TBA
May 18 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
May 19 Salt Lake City, UT Metro Music Hall
May 20 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar
May 22 San Diego, CA Casbah
w/Perturbator & Health:
October 6 Lille, France Aeronef
October 7 Paris, France L’Olympia
October 12 Bordeaux, France Krakatoa
October 13 Toulouse, France Bikini
October 14 Madrid, Spain La Riviera
October 15 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2
October 16 Nantes, France Stereolux
October 18 Lyon, France Le Transbordeur
October 19 Strasbourg, France La Laiterie
October 20 Lausanne, Switzerland Les Docks
October 21 Munich, Germany Freiheiz
October 22 Vienna, Austria, Arena
October 23 Budapest, Hungary Akvarium Nagyhall
October 25 Prague, Czech Republic Lucerna Music
October 26 Wroclaw, Poland Zaklete Rewiry
October 27 Warsaw, Poland Progresja
October 28 Berlin, Germany Heimathafen
October 29 Göthenburg, Sweden Trädgår’n
October 30 Stockholm, Sweden Berns
November 1 Helsinki, Finland Tavastia
November 3 Oslo, Norway Vulkan Arena
November 4 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset
November 5 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefährlich
November 6 Utrecht, Netherlands Tivoli
November 8 Cologne, Germany Kantine
November 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal
November 10 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
