Moon Tooth, the Long Island-based four-piece who have wowed fans and critics alike, leading Rolling Stone to say: “not since the early days of the Mars Volta has a rock band managed to sound so wildly adventurous,” return with one of the year’s most eagerly-awaited rock albums: Phototroph (May 13, Pure Noise Records).
“The theme of plants growing towards the light was just something I kept coming back to in different songs,” explains Moon Tooth singer John Carbone on the impetus for the album title. “Our previous record, Crux, was like a crossroads and was dealing with a lot of negative shit. Phototroph is about walking from the middle and picking a road that goes onward and upward on a brighter path.”
News of the Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Quicksand, Dillinger Escape Plan) produced album is accompanied by the release of “Carry Me Home” and a hilariously, campy Tom Flynn-directed video. Guitar player Nick Lee provides insight into the track: “I really wanted to go all the way Allman Brothers or Hendrix on a Moon Tooth song. We’ve definitely flirted with those sounds on songs in the past but it felt really good to just go all the way bluesy-country and unabashedly old school rock and roll. I think this song is a testament to the fearlessness with which Moon Tooth writes music. We will flirt with any genres we want and it will still sound like us.”
“Carry Me Home” is the third preview of the forthcoming Phototroph, with the band unveiling the life-affirming clip for “Nymphaeaceae” in October, followed by the blistering, psychedelia-infused video for “The Conduit”.
Moon Tooth will join Dance Gavin Dance on their recently announced Spring tour, with tickets available tomorrow at 10 am local time.
April 23 Sacramento, CA Swanfest (Heart Health Park)
April 26 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
April 27 Boise, ID Revolution
April 29 Wichita, KS Cotillion
April 30 Omaha, NE The Admiral
May 1 Des Moines, IA Val Air
May 3 Ft. Wayne, IN Pierre’s
May 4 Cleveland, OH Agora
May 6 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
May 7 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater
May 9 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
May 10 Albany, NY Empire Live
May 11 Hartford, CT Webster Theater
May 13 Richmond, VA The National
May 14 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
May 15 Columbia, SC The Senate
May 17 Ponte Verde, FL Concert Hall
May 19 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Auditorium
May 20 Birmingham, AL Sloss Furnace
Album pre-orders, which are available now, include several limited edition vinyl variants:
· White/royal blue with yellow splatter (200 copies, Pure Noise exclusive)
· Black and gold pinwheel (300 copies, Pure Noise exclusive)
· Yellow and blue galaxy (300 copies, indie retail)
· Royal blue cloudy (UK/EU retail exclusive)
· Black and hot pink (250, Moon Tooth exclusive)
· Royal blue in milky clear vinyl with heavy yellow and green splatter (1150, various retailers)
Moon Tooth is vocalist John Carbone, guitar player Nick Lee, drummer Ray Marte, and bass player Vincent Romanelli. The Long Island-based band self-released their debut album, Chromaparagon, in early 2016. Metal Injection, in one of Moon Tooth’s earliest reviews, said the foursome “establish a riveting precedent of what can be created within the wide parameters of modern progressive music.” The band went on to catch the attention of heavy music fans, critics and labels alike, leading to Pure Noise Records signing Moon Tooth and re-releasing their widely-praised album, Crux, in 2019. The 11-song collection, co-produced by Machine (King Crimson, Every Time I Die) and Lamb of God’s Mark Morton, led to the band being championed by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, leading to placements on both outlet’s Best of 2019 year-end lists.
