Can you really consider it a comeback or a reunion if the band insists that it never really ended in the first place? Is this the modern day equivalent to the age-old “if a tree falls in the woods” question? Whatever way you look at it, it’s been a long time since Conor Oberst‘s punk band Desaparecidos has put out any new music. The last time we heard something new from them was 2002. Just think about how much has changed since then purely with regards to cell phones. Whoa.
After signing to Epitaph at the beginning of this year, Desaparecidos is ready to hit the ground running again with a new album, tour dates, and a brand-new track that debuted this morning. “City on the Hill,” our first real glimpse of what Payola—the band’s follow up to its only full-length, Read Music/Speak Spanish—will sound like, is an instant burst of angst-filled energy with an appropriate amount of nostalgia. A driving beat with commanding power chords and a touch of synth flawlessly prep listeners for Oberst’s unique voice above it all, sing-screaming self-aware lyrics like “Have to relocate the past / Because we’re never going back.”
With an upcoming lineup slot at Coachella and a handful of stand-alone tour dates scheduled, it looks like Desaparecidos’s unscheduled pause is definitely over. Check out Payola‘s details below along with the group’s upcoming live shows.
Payola track listing
1. The Left is Right
2. The Underground Man
3. City on the Hill (Ft. Tim Kasher)
4. Golden Parachutes (ft. Laura Jane Grace)
5. Radicalized
6. MariKKKopa
7. Te Amo Camila Vallejo
8. Ralphy’s Cut
9. Backsell
10. Slacktivist (Ft. So So Glos)
11. Search the Searches
12. 10 Steps Behind
13. Von Maur Massacre
14. Anonymous
Desaparecidos tour dates
April
8 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium
10 – Magna, UT- The Great Saltair
12 – Indio, CA – Coachella
13 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy Theatre
15 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Expo Hall
16 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
19 – Indio, CA – Coachella
July
17 – Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival
31–Aug 2 Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
August
8–9 – Atlanta, GA – The Wrecking Ball festival
Payola is due out on June 23 via Epitaph.
