Wand regenerates again with their most ambitious work yet: Vertigo, out July 26 on Drag City. Turning from their Plum/Laughing Matter-era quintet, Wand now emerges in quartet form (Evan Backer, Evan Burrows, Robbie Cody, Cory Hanson) with a noir-tinged record looming with tension, theatrical elevation, and lush orchestration. With today’s announcement, Wand reveal a new single/video: “Smile”.
Vertigo is the sound of feet lost, regained, and lost again: a vision of Wand that is more automatic, associative, and direct than ever before. Determined to work backwards (or at least inside-out) this time, Wand tracked Vertigo in their own meticulously-built studio, cutting pieces from over 50 hours of live improvisations and writing from within their performances to reshape each track. Along the way, each member took on a new position in addition to the old one during the process — an intuitive, strangely ego-less approach that spun them into uncharted territory. To reach Vertigo, the four committed and recommitted, unafraid to eject in a constant positive forward momentum, until a record formed: a pulpy, atmospheric flight through the fog, where the songs slide cuts of genus and genii, captured beatscape and soundtrack, and found melody on anxious rock beats pulled into the ether and spurt back out again. Vertigo was recorded, produced and mixed entirely by the band, scored to cinematic effect with strings and winds arranged by Evan Backer: viola, cello, violin, contrabass, flute, trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba, saxophone, and sensory percussion.
“Smile”, the first single, is guitar-forward, but infused with grainy keyboard texture and floating in space with helium-fired elegance. Rubbing deeply personal admissions against the icy velvet backdrop of universality, Cory engages with a chaste, winsome vocal melody as the band arcs through the mist. Paired with the sounds of “Smile” is a boggish, eerie music video from director/animator Connor Clarke and Slips Studios.
Wand lifts the curtain for Vertigo on July 26, 2024, available on LP/CD/CS and streaming. But wait no more than a few weeks for the live engagements to begin: Wand’s complete tour of the USA and Canada commences in May, rolls right on through the summer, and hits the West Coast this fall.
Wand 2024 North American Tour Dates
5/30 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
5/31 – Morro Bay, CA @ The Siren
6/1 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
6/2 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
6/5 – Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
6/7 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater*
6/8 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
7/10 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
7/11 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s 20 Lanes
7/12 – Darien Lake, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater*
7/13 – Windsor, Ontario, Canada @ Meteor
7/15 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Budweiser Stage*
7/16 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Theater Fairmont
7/17 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
7/18 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
7/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
7/20 – Washington D.C. @ Songbyrd
7/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7/23 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
7/25 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
7/26 – Austin, TX @ Parish
7/29 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
7/30 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
8/2 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
8/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
9/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
9/15 – Redding, CA @ The Dip
9/18 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
9/19 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
9/20 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
9/21 – Arcata, CA @ The Miniplex
9/23 – Sacramento, CA @ The Starlet Room
