Sleater-Kinney Release Suffocating New Single 'Untidy Creature' Ahead of Upcoming Album, Tour, Continued Badassery
To call the music video for Sleater-Kinney's new single 'Untidy Creature' suffocating would be an understatement. What begins with an extreme close-up of Australian diver Amber Bourke breathing heavily in a filled bathtub soon finds the band (Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein) kicking in with a massive guitar riff and and even more massive hook.
You may not even notice that Bourke has slipped completely underwater until you realize that it's been an uncomfortably long time for her to be submerged, with the entire video one continuous cut so you know she hasn't come up for air. The combination of the two has a unique effect: as much as you want the song to continue because it's a great song, the longer you have to watch someone deprive themselves of air.
I'll let the band explain it better, but trust me when I say it has a powerful impact:
Of the song and video, the band says “‘Untidy Creature’ was the first song we wrote for Little Rope, although we didn’t know it at the time; we weren’t certain we were even working on another record. We also worried it had come too easy, the song featured two elements that come very naturally to Sleater-Kinney: a big guitar riff, an even bigger vocal. But as the year wore on, and our choices and bodily autonomy shrank, our feeling about the song changed. It became a gift, somewhere to put our darkest fears, and our deepest hopes. We sometimes feel trapped or angry, and yet still we breathe.”
“For the video, we wanted imagery that spoke to the themes which permeate Little Rope: uncertainty, restlessness, urgency, all of the in-between and discomfiting states with which we’re forced to reckon. So, we came up with the idea of a woman holding her breath in a bathtub for the duration of the song, unsure of her motivations, not knowing whether she’s seeking escape, disappearance, absolution, or simply a moment of quiet and reprieve. We love the tension created by an act that defies both custom and comfort.”
As hypnotic as it is insistent, if this is what we're in for when Sleater-Kinney's upcoming album Little Rope is released January 19, and more importantly what to expect on their upcoming tour, it doesn't seem like the duo has lost a step going into their 30th year as a band.
Sleater-Kinney Tour Dates:
02/28/2024 - San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
02/29/2024 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
03/01/2024 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
03/02/2024 - Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
03/04/2024 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
03/05/2024 - Dallas, TX @ Studio at the Factory
03/06/2024 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
03/08/2024 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater
03/09/2024 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
03/11/2024 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
03/12/2024 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem
03/13/2024 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
03/14/2024 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
03/16/2024 - New York, NY @ Racket
03/17/2024 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
03/18/2024 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
03/20/2024 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
03/21/2024 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
03/22/2024 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
03/23/2024 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
03/25/2024 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
03/26/2024 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
03/28/2024 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
03/29/2024 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
03/30/2024 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
03/31/2024 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/02/2024 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
04/03/2024 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
04/04/2024 - Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue
04/05/2024 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Tickets can be purchased here.