Quicksand revealed today that their new album Distant Populations is set to be released on August 13 digitally and September 24 on vinyl via Epitaph Records. They shared a new single from the record called “Missile Command.”
Their current lineup is still their founding lineup, consisting of frontman Walter Schreifels, who’s also known for his work with Gorilla Biscuits and Rival Schools, guitarist Tom Capone, drummer Alan Cage and bassist Sergio Vega, who has also been the bassist for Deftones since 2009. Schreifels explains that he and the band wrote “Missile Command” during a rehearsal jam. He states, “It really kind of focuses on Sergio’s whole motif in a very simple way. He and Alan just have this really kind of trademark groove and I think that really sings on this one to me. I just felt like it’s a kind of song that is very us, but we hadn’t written it yet.”
The new song is coated in heavy alternative metal textures, built on the kind of post-hardcore bass rhythms that they’re known for. It plays between tense verses and explosive choruses, with Schreifels singing “And it rains and it rains and it rains/When it rains I can’t change your mind/And it rains and it rains and it rains/And it rains, true worlds bring/As lights fill up the sky/You better get used to it.”
“Missile Command” was released with a similar music video to their previous single, “Inversion,” which is a similarly heavy song that’s slated to be the opener on the album. Both videos were illustrated and animated by Rob Fidel, featuring humanoid aliens, pterodactyl-like creatures and snake-like arthropods.
On the full album, Schreifels stated, “Everyone is on the one hand so connected with each other, and on the other hand, is so far apart. We’re checking out each other’s social media and we know what everybody’s doing. But when we’re sitting in the same room together, we’re looking at our phones.”
Their previous album was their 2017 comeback record Interiors, which was their first release since 1995’s Manic Compression, led by the singles “Interiors” and “Cosmonauts.” They formed in 1990 and put out a debut EP and two albums, the first of which was 1993’s Slip, before going on hiatus until 2017.
Quicksand also announced a fall 2021 North American tour in support of the forthcoming record, including stops at Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA, the Metro in Chicago, IL, Bluebird Theater in Denver, CO, Neumos in Seattle, WA, Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA, the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA, Mohawk in Austin, TX, Studio @ Warehouse Live in Houston, TX, Masquerade (Hell) in Atlanta, GA and The Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY. The full schedule can be found below.
Distant Populations Tracklist:
1. Inversion
2. Lightning Field
3. Colossus
4. Brushed
5. Katakana
6. Missile Command
7. Phase 90
8. The Philosopher
9. Compacted Reality
10. EMDR
11. Rodan
Quicksand Fall 2021 Tour Dates:
9/28 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
9/29 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
10/1 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360
10/2 – Albany, NY – Empire Live
10/4 – Detroit, MI – El Club
10/5 – Chicago, IL – Metro
10/6 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
10/8 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
10/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
10/11 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
10/12 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
10/13 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
10/15 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
10/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
10/19 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
10/21 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
10/23 – Houston, TX – Studio @ Warehouse Live
10/25 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Hell)
10/26 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
10/27 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
10/29 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom
10/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts
Photo credit: Raymond Flotat
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