‘There’s A Riot Going On’: Jersey’s Yo La Tengo Dropping New Album on March 16


[L-R] Georgia Hubley, James McNew and Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo


“There’s a riot going on. You don’t need me, or Yo La Tengo, to tell you that. These are dark times, in our heads as much as in the streets.” – Luc Santé

Yo La Tengo announced the release date of their first studio record in nearly five years. The self-produced “There’s a Riot Going On” will be available on March 16.

The iconic Hoboken-grown trio has already teased us with four of the fifteen tracks, which you can listen to below:

The title references the Sly and the Family Stone album from 1971, which also goes by the same name. “Completely put together in Pro Tools by bassist James McNew and produced by Yo La Tengo as a whole, it’s the first proper studio album the band has constructed largely out of dribs and drabs, looped seconds from unused film scores, and new songs pieced together like Lego playsets, in the same familiar drones and pastiche detours that make up their other works,” wrote Dan Weiss of Stereogum, who recently interviewed YLT’s Ira Kaplan and James McNew.

Writer Luc Santé described the album as a “slow-motion action painting […] songs came together over long stretches, sometimes as much as a year going by between parts. You’d never guess this, since the layers are finessed with such a liquid brush.”

Previous to the album announcement, the band released dates for their upcoming international tour. While Jersey venues aren’t currently on tap, the band will play Brooklyn Steel on April 6 followed by an April 7 show at Union Transfer in Philly. You can see a full set of tour dates here.


Yo La Tengo covers The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love”

In addition to their studio work, Yo La Tengo has been busy. Last month, they finished their eight nights of Hanukkah shows at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan. The Hanukkah show and fundraiser tradition began at Maxwell’s in Hoboken where they were staples of the rich music scene for many years.

Here’s what you can surely expect from YLT’s new album: they’ll continue to create on their own terms, and you’ll continue to be surprised.

“There’s a Riot Going On” will be out March 16 on Matador Records. You can pre-sale order your copy here.