SUUNS Set To Tour With Handsome Furs, Videos From Both

We were already stoked on the arrival of Handsome Furs' latest, Sound Kapital, so you can imagine how we took it when we discovered that the band will be joined on tour by HAD favorites, SUUNS. The Montreal four-piece have been slated to join their Canadian compatriots for their US tour in the month of September.

Having seen SUUNS in action live twice before, we can assure you that theirs is a set worth arriving early for. Combine that with the fact that Handsome Furs are delivering some of the most aggressive, danceable grooves out there, and, well, this is a tour you're not going to want to miss. Check the dates at the bottom of this post.

In the meantime, you can check two new vids from both bands, Handsome Furs' "What About Us" (above), and SUUNS "Gaze" (below). Happy viewing!

Handsome Furs / SUUNS US Tour Dates

08/30 Santa Fe, NM - Corazon w/ Handsome Furs

08/31 Tucson, AZ- Club Congress w/ Handsome Furs

09/01 San Diego, CA- Casbah w/ Handsome Furs

09/02 Los Angeles, CA- Echoplex w/ Handsome Furs

09/03 San Francisco, CA- Slims w/ Handsome Furs

09/04 Sacramento, CA- Townhouse Lounge w/ Handsome Furs

09/06 Boise, ID- Neurolux Lounge w/ Handsome Furs

09/08 Portland, OR- Music Fest NW

09/09 Victoria, BC- Club 9ONE9 w/ Handsome Furs

09/10 Seattle, WA- Neumos w/ Handsome Furs

Handsome Furs Preview New Record On Eve Of Tour

We already mentioned that Handsome Furs had a new record and tour on tap for the spring, and the shows kick off tomorrow night. If you happen to be wondering what the band will have in store for you, look no further: the track "What About Us" (below) has been released as the lead single from Sound Kapital, which is set to be released June 28th on Sub Pop. The tune is pretty standard Furs material, which is to say: slightly synthy, some nice drum machine action, and some bold rock and roll vibe. In short, right up our alley.

mp3: Handsome Furs - What About Us

Handsome Furs Plot Spring Tour, New Album On Tap

It's been a little bit of a while since we fell head over heels for Handsome Furs' second record Face Control. As such, we were completely stoked to hear that the band not only has a third record on tap for this year, but has set up a small east coast tour for this spring. The band will be making a one week jaunt up and down the coast, including an April 14th date at Bell House in Brooklyn. Will we see you there? Yes, yes we will.

Handsome Furs Spring 2011 Dates:
04-13 Boston, MA - Great Scott
04-14 Brooklyn, NY - Bell House
04-15 Richmond, VA - Gallery 5
04-16 Clemson, SC - Clemson University
04-17 Raleigh, NC - King's Barcade
04-18 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie

mp3: Handsome Furs - All We Want Baby, Is Everything

Handsome Furs: Face Control

We know, we know: this record's been out for almost six months, and we're just so behind in just getting into it now. Well, tell you what kids: here at HAD we transcend that shit. Real music was made to last, and if you stumble on it six months late, guess what? Still good for consumption. As such, we're more than excited to have us some Handsome Furs.

We actually first got a taste of the band after The OCMD mentioned the awesomeness of the Furs' live show. That was enough to peak our interest and send us digging on myspace. When we did, we liked what heard, and decided that it was indeed time to pick us up a nice, fresh, sparkly copy of Face Control.

For those not in the know (don't worry, we're with you, like 90% of the time), Handsome Furs is a Wolf Parade offshoot, consisting exclusively of Wolf Parade member Dan Boekner, and his wife Alexei Perry. The fact that they're a duo alone is quite impressive: the band's records have an incredibly big sound, and through the extensive use of synths and drum machines, they manage to easily fill the roles of a "full band".

So then, what exactly is that band delivering? Well, it would be easy to classify it as post-punk, new wave electronic, and leave it at that. And, in some ways, the description would be apt: the band unquestionably has influences squared firmly in the sound of early 80's England. But, that being said, they also manage to transcend their debt to that genre with a sound that is far more accessible and impassioned.

Where many of the original new wave bands were rooted firmly in a cold, calculated sound, Handsome Furs definitely have a gift for very user friendly melodies and hooks. While many of the samples and beats could be seen as derivative, they manage to escape that dead end by infusing the derivative framework with Boekner's enthused vocals, and guitar lines that recall other, far more mainstream bands.

The result of all this is that the Furs' manage to create a record that is at the same time experimental and accessible, calculating yet friendly, and unquestionably memorable. While we have to say that our fave track is the album's leadoff "Legal Tender" (below), the entire record has a sense of unity that makes it an automatic candidate for repeat plays. Often we find ourselves humming one of the record's tunes much later in the day, and not able to place it, only to realize that the Handsome Furs have inundated themselves far more thoroughly than we had ever expected, and that's a very good thing.

mp3: Handsome Furs - Legal Tender