Last year’s Under Color of Official Right introduced Protomartyr’s brand of searing, world-weary post-punk to a larger audience and earned the Detroit band a great deal of acclaim in the process. The group are now working with a new deal, one Kelley Deal of The Breeders, on a new track from a split-single titled A Half of Seven.
The lyrics to “Blues Festival” read like a pocket-sized collection of dos and don’ts: “Don’t look for a hit where there is none/ Don’t try to air your big ideas/ Don’t hump the mic like a crying child.” Protomartyr blaze through massive bass licks and guitar riffs, reaching the apex when R. Ring’s Deal contributes muffled vocals: “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
A Half of Seven is out digitally now, with physical 7″s due out June 16 through Hardly Art. Listen to “Blues Festival” below: