(Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara)

Rhymesayers founders and underground hip-hop luminaries Atmosphere have announced they will release their ninth studio LP, Fishing Blues, on August 12. The album will feature collaborations with fellow Rhymesayers Aesop Rock, DOOM, and The Grouch, as well as with fellow pioneer Kool Keith.

Finishing Blues is set to be Slug and Ant’s first formal release since 2014’s Southsiders. The 2014 album continued Ant’s transition away from artificial production and towards live production. Slug, meanwhile, further established his mid-career switch from elaborate metaphorical rhymes to smaller, detail oriented character sketches.

Slug recently revealed in an interview with The Current that the new album’s lyrics are dominated by the concept of fishing.

“All the songs are about fishing, and I don’t mean literally about fishing, but all the songs are about trying to secure something; trying to find something; fishing for compliments; fishing for validation; fishing for food, love, money,” Slug said.

To supplement the release date announcement, the duo premiered a new song, “Ringo”, and its complimentary video. The song itself features soul tinged boom-bap production joined by airy chimes and synths. Frequent collaborator G-Koop adds live instrumentation, augmenting Ant’s classic hip-hop production. Slug raps in his trademark steady yet bouncy tone, detailing the universal reactions to any form of fall from grace.

The new single’s video more specifically pinpoints the type of fall from grace Slug details.

“The video shows a past-his-prime actor playing a king & jester, mocked by his peers and those that once respected his work—a sharp look at today’s pop culture environment where today’s heroes are tomorrow’s joke,” the group said through press release.

Atmosphere will kick off a world tour in support of Fishing Blues on July 2 in Chicago. They have consistently toured since 2014, and notably headlined their own festival, Soundset 2016, in May.

Fishing Blues

01. Like A Fire
02. Ringo
03. Besos
04. Pure Evil (feat. I.B.E)
05. Perfect
06. Seismic Waves
07. Next To You (feat. deM atlaS)
08. The Shit That We’ve Been Through
09. When The Lights Go Out (feat. DOOM & Kool Keith)
10. No Biggie
11. Everything
12. Chasing New York (feat. Aesop Rock)
13. Sugar
14. Fishing Blues (feat. The Grouch)
15. Won’t Look Back (feat. Kim Manning)
16. Anybody That I’ve Known
17. Still Be Here
18. A Long Hello

Atmosphere 2016 Tour Dates

07/02: Chicago, IL – Mamby On The Beach
07/22: Jämsä, Finland – Pipefest
07/23: Helsinki, Finland – Tavastia Club
08/06: Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion ^
08/13: Somerset, WI – Summer Set Music & Camping Festival
08/19: Wasaga Beach, Ontario – Center of Gravity Festival
09/02: Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater *%@&#
09/08: Winnipeg, Manitoba – Garrick Centre *&#
09/09: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – O’Brian’s Event Centre *
09/10: Calgary, Alberta – One Love Music Festival
09/11: Edmonton, Alberta – Union Hall *&#
09/13: Victoria, British Columbia – Sugar Nightclub *~&#
09/14: Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom *~&#
09/15: Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo *~&#
09/17: Portland, OR – Roseland Theater *~&#
09/18: Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom *~&#
09/19: Oakland, CA – Fox Theater *~&#
09/20: San Francisco, CA – The Masonic *~&#
09/23: San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park *~&#
09/24: Los Angeles, CA – The Shrine LA Outdoors *$!~&#
09/26: Tempe, AZ – The Marquee *~&#
09/28: Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company *~&#
09/30: Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex *~&#
10/01: Boise, ID – Knitting Factory *~&#
10-02: Missoula, MT – The Wilma *~&#
10/03: Billings, MT – Babcock Theatre *~&#
10/05: Fargo, ND – Fargo Civic Center *~&#
10/06: Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium *~&#
10/08: Nashville, TN – Municipal Auditorium ^
11/07: Montreal, Quebec – Fairmount Theatre *~&#
11/09: Portland, ME – State Theatre *~&#
11/10: Burlington, VT – Higher Ground *~&#
11/11: New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place *~&#
11/12: Philadelphia, PA – TLA *~&#
11/14: Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *~&#
11/15: New York, NY – Webster Hall *~&#
11/17: Boston, MA – House of Blues *~&#
11/18: Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE *~&#
11/19: Cleveland, OH – House of Blues *~&#

^ with Pretty Lights
* with Brother Ali
$ with Dilated Peoples
! with Aesop Rock
% with Lifter Puller
@ with Lizzo
& with Plain Ole Bill
# with Last Word
~ with deM atlaS