Los Angeles noise freaks Qui have been doing their thing since 2000, but their forthcoming album Life, Water, Living… will only be their third. You’ll forgive them, though since guitarist/vocalist Matt Cronk spent a portion of their five-year recording hiatus serving his country in Iraq, where a car bomb nearly took his life but left him with a Purple Heart instead. Now he and co-founding drummer/vocalist Paul Christensen are back at it, dosing their shreddy punk tantrums with arty aplomb and surprising harmony. Witness “Mucho Sex in America” above, which comes with a video directed by former pro skater Laban Pheidias (Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys). Therein, Qui march ever forward despite weathering various hang-ups and indignities. Life, Water, Living… is out February 25, co-produced by Melvins drummer Dale Crover.
Qui tour dates:
November 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
November 22 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
November 23 – Portland, OR @ Porch House
November 24 – Reno, NV @ TBA