Angel Du$t share new song/video ‘I'm The Outside’
Angel Du$t | Photo credit: Nat Wood
The unstoppable Angel Du$t are gearing up to the imminent release of their highly anticipated new album, COLD 2 THE TOUCH, as well as a North American tour, and today they're back with another bold new single, ‘I'm The Outside.’
Arriving 13th February via Run For Cover Records, COLD 2 THE TOUCH is a 26-minute blast of eclectic and hard-hitting music that proves Angel Du$t's drive to make authentically aggressive rock & roll truly has no limit. ‘I'm The Outside’ follows previous singles ‘DU$T,’ ‘Cold 2 The Touch,’ ‘The Knife,’ and ‘The Beat’ and veers from galloping punk to a monster riff that would make Stone Temple Pilots jealous, then twists it further into a breakdown worthy of Angel Du$t's hardcore heart.
Watch the ‘I'm The Outside’ music video:
https://youtu.be/ViH5oveHWzk
Stream ‘I'm The Outside’ everywhere:
angeldustmoney.lnk.to/imtheoutside
Preorder COLD 2 THE TOUCH:
https://angeldustmoney.lnk.to/cold2thetouch
COLD 2 THE TOUCH follows Angel Du$t's 2023 album BRAND NEW SOUL (which drew praise from fans and critics alike, including Pitchfork, Stereogum, Uproxx, Kerrang!, BrooklynVegan, Consequence, Revolver, and many more), and finds the group reuniting with producer/engineer Brian McTernan (Turnstile, Balance & Composure, Bane, Converge) who recorded much of their early material. It’s also the first release with new members Nick Lewis and Jim Carroll (also of American Nightmare, Suicide File, The Hope Conspiracy and more), and it features guest appearances from all across the hardcore universe - including Scott Vogel (Terror), Wes Eisold (American Nightmare, Cold Cave), Patrick Cozens (Restraining Order) Frank Carter, and Taylor Young (Twitching Tongues, Deadbody).
The result is Angel Du$t's most flat-out ferocious work in some time, a blender of hard riffs, big hooks, and even bigger personality. “This is who I am,” says Tripp. “and I speak for the band too: these are people who are always going to be playing aggressive rock & roll. It’s happening whether you like it or not. I’m me, and if you get in my way I’m gonna crush you.”
COLD 2 THE TOUCH is due out 13th February via Run For Cover Records.
COLD 2 THE TOUCH tracklist:
1. Pain Is A Must
2. Cold 2 The Touch
3. I'm The Outside
4. Jesus Head
5. Zero
6. Downfall
7. DU$T
8. Nothing I Can't Kill
9. Man On Fire
10. The Knife
11. The Beat
Upcoming Shows:
01/31-02/01 Boston, MA @ Something In The Way Fest
02/27 Washington DC @ St. Stephen's Church
02/28 Philadelphia, PA @ Lithuanian Music Hall
03/01 Rutherford, New Jersey @ The Williams Center
03/02 Albany, NY @ Ophelia's
03/03 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
03/05 Toronto, ON @ East End United Basement
03/06 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
03/07 Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
03/08 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
03/09 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
03/11 Tulsa, OK @ Mass Movement Community Arts
03/12 Dallas, TX @ Rubber Gloves (NOT SO FUN WKND)
03/13 Houston, TX @ The End (NOT SO FUN WKND)
03/14 San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger (NOT SO FUN WKND)
03/15 Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room (NOT SO FUN WKND)
03/17 Tucson, AZ @ Urbxn
03/18 Phoenix, AZ @ Rosetta Room
03/19 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
03/21 Los Angeles, CA @ 1720
03/22 Berkley, CA @ 924 Gilman
03/24 Portland, OR @ High Limit Room
03/25 Seattle, WA @ Washington Hall
03/26 Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
03/27 Salt Late City, UT @ Fellowship Hall
03/29 Denver, CO @ Marquis
04/01 St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
04/02 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
04/03 Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving Underground
04/04 New York, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
04/06 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
04/30 Brisbane, AU @ The Triffid
05/02 Melbourne, AU @ 170 Russell
05/03 Sydney, AU @ Liberty Hall
05/05 Adelaide, AU @ Lion Arts Factory
05/06 Perth, AU @ Amplifier Bar
05/30-31 Detroit, MI @ Tied Down Detroit
02/27 w/ Crown Of Thornz, Backlash, Love Sick
02/28-03/01 w/ Crown Of Thornz, Combust, Love Sick
030/2 w/ Combust, Love Sick
03/03 w/ Béton Armé, Combust, Love Sick
30/05 w/ Big Boy, Mil-Spec, Eskrima
03/06 w/ Negative Approach, Big Boy, Bad Beat, The Sissy Boys
03/07-03/09 w/ Big Boy, Bad Beat
03/11-03/15 w/ Béton Armé
03/17 w/ Midrift, Béton Armé
03/18-03/21 w/ Midrift, Béton Armé, Leave No Doubt
03/21 w/ Béton Armé, Leave No Doubt
03/24-03/29 w/ Home Front, Béton Armé, Odd Man Out
04/01-04/03 w/ Outta Pocket, Jivebomb
04/04 w/ Outta Pocket, Jivebomb, Vanity
04/05 w/ Death Threat, Outta Pocket, Jivebomb
04/30-05/06 w/ Superheaven
Biography:
There’s no other band like Angel Du$t. In fact, the singular group is almost defined by how far they stand apart from the pack. So if saying Angel Du$t aren’t like anyone else is a no-brainer, then what are they like? Are they cutting edge genre-destroyers or one of the last authentic guitar bands standing? Are they blunt force aggression incarnate or earnest experimentalists? Are they the hardcore version of an indie band or is it the other way around? You might ask yourself these kinds of questions while taking in the totality of Angel Dust’s decade-plus journey–but the band’s new album, COLD 2 THE TOUCH, suggests that maybe it’s not so complicated after all. Or as vocalist/mastermind Justice Tripp puts it: ”Angel Du$t is rock & roll.”
COLD 2 THE TOUCH captures this simple fact better than ever before. The 26-minute blast of eclectic and hard-hitting music makes it clear that Angel Du$t can’t be contained within the confines of narrow subgenres, and that a term as elemental as rock & roll might actually fit like a glove. “The flow of energy is a big part of what we do. Angel Du$t needs to incite movement–I’m not down with people chilling while we play, that’s offensive to me–so having a genuine hardcore influence without making hardcore is important to the band.,” Tripp elaborates. “Melody is another huge ingredient, so is the authentic influence of bluesy, chromatic rock & roll constructs. So punk, hardcore, rock & roll–they’re all just different flows of energy that we’re trying to use.”
Angel Du$t formed in 2013 as a respite from Tripp’s time with heavy hardcore heroes Trapped Under Ice, and while the band’s comparatively tuneful sound was initially divisive, it soon proved to not only have staying power, but also massive influence. Twelve years later the hardcore-to-melody pipeline is well established thanks in no small part to Tripp and Angel Du$t, but the musician’s restless creativity keeps him far from resting on laurels. “The start of the band was very off the cuff,” he explains. “TUI was purposely very serious, so Angel Du$t was supposed to be more free-spirited, and I think that we really try to keep that spontaneity even this many years into it. The band was created with a real set of guidelines but has expanded way outside of them because finding that free-spirited energy has always been the goal, and the sound has to change to keep finding that.”
Luckily Angel Du$t have also often been home of some of the most talented musicians coming up in punk and hardcore, and fresh personnel has played a huge role in keeping the band alive and Tripp inspired–especially now with COLD 2 THE TOUCH. Tripp, guitarist Steve Marino, and bassist Zechariah Ghostribe, were joined by new drummer Nick Lewis and guitarist Jim Carroll. The two musicians each brought unique and somewhat opposite perspectives to the making of COLD 2 THE TOUCH: Lewis had never recorded in a proper studio before, while Carroll is a veteran of legendary bands like Suicide File, Hope Conspiracy, American Nightmare, and more. The team was rounded out by producer/engineer Brian McTernan who recorded much of the early Angel Du$t material in addition to countless other legendary releases (Turnstile, Balance & Composure, Bane, Converge). “The band has always been about me funneling other elements coming in from other people–I make a lot of music based on where I feel like the collective consciousness is going. I think this is the most collaborative Angel Du$t record.”
The result is the band’s most overtly ferocious album in some time – a blender of hard riffs and big hooks that are matched by Tripp’s open-hearted existentialism. “A lot of the lyrics are in the context of ‘when is the end coming and what are we doing with our lives in the meantime?’” he explains. “I want to experience life while I can, I want to commit to what I am and my place in the world. For me that’s music but I think that’s important for anyone–to do the things you do unapologetically.”
That mentality is palpable throughout COLD 2 THE TOUCH, starting with its stomping opener, ‘Pain Is A Must.’ The track highlights the balance of eye-bulging aggression and satisfying melody at which Angel Du$t excels, with guest vocals from Terror’s Scott Vogel hammering home Tripp’s bluntly stirring lyrics. “It’s a song about sacrificing for things you love to do. Getting Scott on the song was special cuz he’s the one that taught me that. There’s nothing in life that I want that doesn't come with some misery and I accept that.” The album hurls forward with the galloping hardcore of its title track, followed by early standout ‘I’m The Outside, which’ further underlines Tripp’s worldview overtop of a headbang-ready instrumental that sounds like Stone Temple Pilots collaborating with Bad Brains. “Everyone has an ‘I’m on the outside’ song, but I wanted to make it ‘I am the outside,’” Tripp says. “I’m what you're aspiring to be when you think you’re an outsider. I don’t have any choice, this is my lifestyle, but as I get older I try to approach it with as much positivity as I can. I want to think more about what I can contribute, I want to be more about solutions–I can live on my terms, I can draw people towards positive mindsets in life.” It’s an endearing bit of maturity from one of modern hardcore’s more intense figures. “But this is also on the same record with a song about me beating the shit out of someone for all eternity because sometimes that’s the solution, too,” Tripp adds with a laugh.
Elsewhere tracks like ‘Jesus Head’ or ‘Du$t’ show that the band haven’t neglected their experimental side, leaning into lush textures, reversing drums, or Tripp’s versatile voice–but even those songs stay true to the snarling heart of COLD 2 THE TOUCH by throwing in a biting guitar solo, earthshaking breakdown, or unexpected blast beat. “I think at the end of the day, I’m an artist and everything I've done is something authentic to me–I really consciously didn’t write for other people or what people might expect, and just wrote completely for me,” says Tripp. “When we were in the studio for this one I could really feel that. It truly felt like there were no boundaries–it’s just the magic of great players, a great producer, and we can do anything we want.” That constellation of collaborators makes COLD 2 THE TOUCH a captivating listen that’s constantly surprising the listener: Carroll makes his presence especially felt on ‘Zero,’ a veritable Angel Du$t epic that clocks in at over three minutes of spiralling riffs and features vocals from Wes Eisold of American Nightmare and Cold Cave; ‘Downfall’ has the growl of Restraining Order’s Patrick Cozens; ‘Man On Fire’ taps UK punk legend Frank Carter; and ‘The Beat’ includes guttural guest vitriol from Taylor Young of Twitching Tongues, Deadbody, and more.
The album’s final one-two punch of ‘The Knife’ and ‘The Beat’ sum up exactly what makes Angel Du$t such a special band. This is a creative endeavour where heart-on-sleeve musings about the finite nature of life can coexist with the unbridled thrill of violence-inducing riffs, where real humanity can flourish and being true to yourself and your own spectrum of thoughts, interests, and feelings takes primacy above all else. “This is who I am,” says Tripp. “and I speak for the band too: these are people who are always going to be playing aggressive rock & roll. It’s happening whether you like it or not. I’m me, and if you get in my way I’m gonna crush you.”
Angel Du$t online:
Bandcamp / Twitter / Instagram / Run For Cover Records
