by Tom Alexander (@___alexd)
If you look to the sky, you’ll catch a glimpse of Hierophants, the cosmic punk band that brushes by Earth roughly every three years (Bow Down to the Hierophants in 2012, Parallax Error in 2015). They’re like Halley’s Comet, if Halley’s Comet was from Geelong, Australia and wrote great music. What did they see in the far reaches of space? If their upcoming album, Spitting Out Moonlight, is any indication, Hierophants saw lots of dancefloors and fog machines in the ether. We’re premiering the album’s first track (and second single) “Shoemaker Levy 9” ahead of Spitting Out Moonlight’s May 24th release.
“Shoemaker Levy 9” opens up with the funkiest bass line you’ll hear this year. Hierophants have never been strangers to a good groove – their last album, Parallax Error, was laden with great rhythmic hooks – but “Shoemaker Levy 9” really leans into that demented disco influence. Imagine if Cate Le Bon got coked up at Studio 54 after reading Contact by Carl Sagan, and that’ll get you halfway to imagining what the song offers. Recorded and mixed by Mikey Young, who has worked on releases by Cave, Negative Scanner, Bitchin’ Bajas, and David Nance Group, Hierophants walk a fine line of piss-taking punk and dance-ready melody. “Shoemaker Levy 9” is the galactic amuse bouche for a wild trip of an album; prepare yourself now and check it out.
Spitting Out Moonlight drops on May 24 via Anti-Fade Records, the same great folks that brought you Post-Trash favorite Ausmuteants’ …Present the World in Handcuffs.