Stephen Malkmus’ The Hard Quartet announce debut album with jangly single ‘Rio’s Song’
nme.comThe Hard Quartet have announced their self-titled debut with the jangly new single, ‘Rio’s Song’.Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus first shared details of the project in June, after a series of synchronised posts were shared on social media.The line-up includes Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Jim White and Emmett Kelly.
Today (August 21), they shared their first single, and said in a statement it was their homage to “street rock in the hot afternoon and clowning around with lifer friends in downtown New York City”.The accompanying music video was shot “guerrilla style” by director Jared Sherbert, and revisits The Rolling Stones‘ 1981 video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’, recreating it shot-for-shot.“Both Matt and Stephen individually write music that has soundtracked pivotal periods in my life,” the director told Pitchfork. “So working with them on this video for their new band was a dream.”Filmed in St Mark’s Place and The International Bar, it features artists, musicians, activists, skaters and “icons” from New York “who are dear to the band”.Their debut is out October 4 via Matador Records.
You can pre-order and pre-save here.1 – ‘Chrome Mess’2 – ‘Earth Hater’3 – ‘Rio’s Song’4 – ‘Our Hometown Boy’5 – ‘Renegade’6 – ‘Heel Highway’7 – ‘Killed By Death’8 – ‘Hey’9 – ‘It Suits You’10 – ‘Six Deaf Rats’11 – ‘Action for Military Boys’12 – ‘Jacked Existence’13 – ‘North of the Border’14 – ‘Thug Dynasty’15 – ‘Gripping the Riptide’The band are also set to play dates in New York, Los Angeles and London this October, and will be touring “extensively” in 2025.
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