Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
The Canadian psych-rock collective BLACK MOUNTAIN are gearing up to release their fifth full-length studio album near the end of next month.
Yes, the album, ‘Destroyer‘, is set to arrive on May 24th via Dine Alone/Jagjaguwar Records, and it is already quite clear that the record marks a period of myriad changes. One of the first of them, most likely a surprising event to most, is BLACK MOUNTAIN founder, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Stephen McBean acquiring his first driver’s license… at nearly 50 years old.
This happened in 2017, after a seeming lifetime without a proper, official document that most people see as an individual’s ticket to true liberation. McBean took it all in stride, channeling the range of emotions evoked by the experience into words and music. So much in fact that the new album ‘Destroyer‘ is named after a discontinued, single-run, 1985 Dodge Destroyer automobile. Stephen has been busily rebuilding one this past spring, an extensive frame-up restoration of the exact muscle car that serves as the new album title’s inspiration.
Then there are the personnel changes that have taken place within BLACK MOUNTAIN since we last heard from them. via the 2016 release ‘IV‘. The new blood that now courses through the band’s shared audio-vascular system includes singer Rachel Fannan (Sleepy Sun) and drummer Adam Bulgasem (Dommengang, Holy Sons), who fill spots left vacant by Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, respectively. Other conspirators returning for ‘Destroyer‘ include longtime member and synth provider, Jeremy Schmidt, as well as Arjan Miranda. A cast of past collaborators returns too, including Kliph Scurlock (Flaming Lips), Kid Millions (Oneida), and John Congleton (St. Vincent, Swans).
The anticipation for the arrival of ‘Destroyer‘ grows daily, fueled in part by the recent revelations of the album details and a first single that surfaced back in early March, “Future Shade” (included below). Today, we are here for the unveiling of a mind-melting official video for another track from the album, “Boogie Lover“. The song is quintessential BLACK MOUNTAIN in every way, with its oozing headiness, fuzz-rich guitars, and simmering synthesizers. Add the hazy female vocals with the otherworldly male tones and meld them into striking music with flourishes of emotional variance, and you have “Boogie Lover“.
In related BLACK MOUNTAIN happenings, the band has several upcoming live appearances, including at home in Toronto, Hungary’s Sziget Festival, as well as the Stoned & Dusted and Psycho Las Vegas festivals in the U.S.. You will find all upcoming live events listed below.
‘Destroyer‘ from BLACK MOUNTAIN will be released May 24th from Dine Alone/Jagjaguwar Records, and is available on CD, vinyl LP, and digitally. Pre-order is active at this LINK.
Tracklist:
01. Future Shade
02. Horns Arising
03. Closer To The Edge
04. High Rise
05. Pretty Little Lazies
06. Boogie Lover
07. Licensed To Drive
08. FD 72
– BLACK MOUNTAIN Live Dates 2019 –
May 09: Toronto, Ont, CAN – Lee’s Palace
May 11: Toronto, Ont, CAN – CMW
May 25: Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
May 26: Pioneertown, CA – Stoned & Dusted Festival
Aug. 11: Budapest, Hungary – Sziget Festival
Aug. 16: Las Vegas, NV – Psycho Las Vegas Festival
