When we last spoke to YACHT, they told us about their plans to release a lathe-cut copper record of nothing but mantras, “designed to be repeated, replayed, and practiced regularly.” As far as we can tell, it never got a proper pressing beyond some promo giveaways, but that’s okay, because the Portland-based duo has moved onto yet another high concept album. Due out June 21st through DFA, Shangri-La “argues that ‘paradise is kinetic potential, a latency within us that has been eaten alive by time.’ In line with the existing emphasis on self-empowerment in the YACHT philosophy, YACHT’s idea of ‘Utopia’ is personal. YACHT believes that the only real sustainable paradise is in our minds, and hence creative output can be a tangible piece of the Utopia within each individual.”
Well alright then. If that’s a bit much for a Sunday afternoon, you can at least take solace in the fact that YACHT still knows how to subvert their heady ideas in groove-locked pop music. Case in point: “Dystopia (The World Is On Fire),” a sci-fi spin on the Earth’s eventual demise, as scored by subterranean basslines, heat-seeking synths, and snappy beats. Check it out after the jump, along with a tracklisting and tour dates…
YACHT, Shangri-La:
1. Utopia
2. Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)
3. I Walked Alone
4. Love in the Dark
5. One Step
6. Holy Roller
7. Beam Me Up
8. Paradise Engineering
9. Tripped & Fell in Love
10. Shangri-La
Tour Dates:
4/13 San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club
4/15 Indio, CA – Coachella
4/17 Marfa, TX – Padre’s
4/19 Austin, TX – Emo’s
4/20 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
4/22 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
4/23 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
4/24 Richmond, VA – The National
4/25 Washington, DC – Black Cat
4/26 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
4/27 New York, NY – Webster Hall
4/29 Providence, RI – The Met Cafe
4/30 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
5/1 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Du Mile End
5/2 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
5/4 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center
5/5 Chicago, IL – Metro
5/6 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
5/7 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
5/9 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
5/10 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
5/12 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
5/13 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
5/14 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
5/15 Astoria, OR – Fort George Brewery
