Tomorrow, Portland, Oregon’s Hippie Death Cult embark on their longest stretch of touring since… well, you know. In company first with Spirit Mother and subsequently with Sasquatch, the band will feature at RippleFest Texas in Austin on July 22 and go on to cover both coasts, wrapping with a hometown gig on Aug. 27, some eight days after their return stop-through at what’s inarguably the US’ biggest heavy festival, Psycho Las Vegas.

Before they go, the band today unveils their new single “Nice to Know You,” and with it begin the next phase of their new era. It hasn’t been that long since Circle of Days (review here) came out in 2021, but in the interim, bassist Laura Phillips has taken on the role of lead singer — the album has vocals from her, but in more of a backing capacity — and the band has become a trio following the departure of Ben Jackson last September. Emergent live clips of their new configuration have let their fanbase in on the resulting shifts in dynamic and sound, but as they stand on the precipice of doing the thing for real, “Nice to Know You” is the first studio track with Phillips fronting the band alongside guitarist Eddie Brnabic and drummer Ryan Moore.

Unsurprisingly, she nails it. Circle of Days was the second LP from Hippie Death Cult after 2019’s 111 (review here), and the band isn’t lacking experience in a live setting, so if it didn’t work, it’s reasonable to assume they’d know it and, you know, not put a track out yet or figure something else out. Instead, “Nice to Know You” brings a doomly opening and unfurls into a melodic chorus, moving from verse to chorus and back with a fluidity that feels emblematic of what the band has done before but bursting out with a scream before the halfway point into a more insistent progression, almost proto-metallic (but for that scream) in its groove, leading to a solo from Brnabic underscored by a bassline and languid drum groove that, indeed, lets you know it’s all going to work just fine.

A speedier riff takes hold, flourished with leads and drum fills between verse lines, and by the time the five minutes of “Nice to Know You” are done, I’m looking for a release date, and Phillips belting out the conclusion of the track — an almost spitting-sounding “It was nice to know you” preceding a second ripper of a scream, riffy lumbering and final crashes that end cold — comes across as a suitable preface or teaser for more to come. If hearing their older songs reinterpreted by the band in a three-piece format wasn’t enough to make you want to check out a set, “Nice to Know You” should do the job outright.

Phillips and Brnabic were both kind enough to offer a comment on the single, and you’ll find that under the player below, as well as their exhausting-looking list of tour dates — they’ll head to Europe after this, having already been confirmed for the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Dresden Oct. 21-22 — and more background/credits for the track.

As always, I hope you enjoy:

Hippie Death Cult, “Nice to Know You” track premiere

Laura Phillips on “Nice to Know You”:

“Lyrically I wrote this from the perspective of someone who had just been given the devastating news that their time on Earth was limited due to a terminal diagnosis. At the time I sat down to write this, I had recently learned that a few more of my loved ones were facing this reality while I was simultaneously awaiting results that could have meant the same for me. I felt like this subject matter matched the dark and eerie vibe of the music that we had already written. Death is that old familiar friend waiting for us all but too often it arrives far sooner than expected and one is suddenly thrown into the accelerated experience of deep grief, pain and acceptance of their untimely fate. The lyrics can also be seen from other perspectives as well: Death of the body, a lost relationship, facing addiction… painful and beautiful aspects of life that are all part of the show that has seemingly ended… perhaps just begun.”

Eddie Brnabic on “Nice to Know You”:

“We’ve gone in recently to record some really cool new material for a full length. Though we weren’t able to finish the entire process before these upcoming tours, we felt it was important to at least complete and release one of these new tunes as we head out on the road. So we finished and mixed “Nice to Know You” just in the nick of time. The sessions were really light and fun but also serious and focused at the same time, which was an ideal scenario. It’s been a really cool chemistry between the three of us from day one and its only gotten better as we’ve evolved. Aside from our artistry compatibility, we are always pushing each other to get better at what we do while cheering each other on with support along the way. We were also afforded the opportunity to record in a really kickass studio this time around and it was such an amazing experience. We got to use a lot of old school analog gear during the recording, mixing and mastering process. There’s a whole lotta tubes goin’ on here! We even printed the final mix live from the board straight to tape. We were not chasing anyone else’s sound here by any means and wanted to keep it really honest and raw sounding.”

Hippie Death Cult – “Nice to Know You”
Released : 7/15/2022

Written, performed and arranged by Hippie Death Cult.
Additional musical contributions by Adam Goldman.

Produced by: Eddie Brnabic.
Mojo technician: Benjamin Barnett
Engineered by : Jeremy Romagna, Eddie Brnabic, Benjamin Barnett.
Mixed to tape by : Eddie Brnabic, Benjamin Barnett, Jeremy Romagna.
Mastered by : Maor Appelbaum.
Recorded & Mixed at 8-4. Portland, Oregon.
Art & photography by Eddie Brnabic.

Summer Tour Dates:
w/ Spirit Mother
7/15 Bend, OR – Volcanic Theater (w/SM & Tigers on Opium)
7/16 Redding, CA – The Dip
7/17 San Jose, CA – S27 Ale House
7/19 Phoenix, AZ – Pub Rock
7/20 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad

w/ Sasquatch
7/22 Austin, TX – Ripplefest
7/23 Arlington, TX – Division Brewing * w/ Spirit Mother, Void Vator, Fostermother & Temptress
7/25 Houston, TX – Black Magic SocialClub
7/26 Lafayette, LA – Freetown Boom Boom Room
7/27 New Orleans, LA – Santos Bar
7/28 Gainesville, FL – Loosey’s Downtown
7/29 Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
7/30 Savannah, GA – The Wormhole Neighborhood Pub
7/31 Atlanta, GA – Boggs Social & Supply
8/2 Summerville, SC – Trolley Pub
8/3 Frederick, MD – Cafe 611 Restaurant
8/4 Jewett City, CT- Prost Bier And Music Hall
8/5 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar
8/6 Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs
8/7 Montréal, QC – Piranha Bar
8/9 Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
8/10 Toronto, ON – Hard Luck Bar
8/11 Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl
8/12 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
8/13 Chicago, IL – Reggies Chicago
8/14 Green Bay, WI – Sun Lyric Room
8/15 Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry
8/16 Lincoln, Ne – Cosmic Eye Brewing
8/17 Colorado Springs, CO – Vulture’s
8/18 Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High Saloon
8/19 Las Vegas, NV – Psycho Las Vegas
8/20 Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing
8/21 San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
8/23 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill *
8/27 Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom *
* HDC only

Hippie Death Cult is:
Laura Phillips ~ Vocals / Bass
Eddie Brnabic ~ Guitars
Ryan Moore ~ Drums

Hippie Death Cult on Bandcamp

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Hippie Death Cult on Soundcloud

Hippie Death Cult website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

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Tags: Heavy Psych Sounds, Hippie Death Cult, Hippie Death Cult Nice to Know You, Nice to Know You, Oregon, Portland

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2022 at 10:58 am and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.