Torche were among those hooky-heavy metal bands that delivered our favorite pop-addled rock music of 2012. Their most recent LP, Harmonicraft, made a strong showing in SPIN’s Best Albums of the Year, establishing the band as “the gold standard for cotton-candy-coated, cloud-bashing, do-the-Dü bubblegum metal.” And while we were sad to hear that Torche’s former home base, Hydra Head Records, is calling it quits, we’re happy to report that the gang have remained active.
Below you’ll find “Keep Up,” a compact thriller that bludgeons the listener with the blunt end of a rainbow. That happens rather quickly, when, after about 90 seconds of thick grind and Steve Brooks’ powerful cheerleading, the entire track explodes under a hail of gnarled guitars. The track comes courtesy of the Volcom Vinyl Club (see also: Tobacco’s “Lipstick Destroyer”) and will see a physical 7-inch single release in July. Torche are currently on the road.
Torche tour dates:
May 14 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
May 16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
May 17 – Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
May 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
May 20 – San Francisco, CA @ SF Eagle
May 21 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro Operahouse
May 22 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
May 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
May 24 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
May 26 – Gorge, WA @ Sasquatch
May 28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
May 29 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
May 30 – Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar
May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Do Division Festival
May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Jun. 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Jun. 2 – Saint Louis, MO @ Firebird
Jun. 3 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Ballroom
Jun. 4 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Jun. 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Jun. 6 – Detroit, MI @ The Majestic
Jun. 7 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
Jun. 8 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Jun. 9 – Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
Jun. 10 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Jun. 12 – Providence, RI @ AS220
Jun. 13 – West Chester, PA @ The Note
Jun. 14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Public Assembly (Northside Festival)
Jun. 15 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Jun. 20 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens (Sled Island Fest)
