Austin glam-punk quintet A Giant Dog have shared “A Daydream,” the latest single from their ambitious new concept album Bite, out August 25th via Merge Records. After its initial rush of orchestral strings, the track’s swirling rhythm descends into punk chaos, drawing the listener ever deeper into the album’s conceptual setting – the beguiling world of Avalonia.

In contrast to what fans have grown to expect from this rough-and-rowdy crew, Bite is an intricately constructed concept album, a dense tale about its protagonist’s ultimately tragic days in a “virtual utopia” called Avalonia. New sounds and textures abound, including, most notably, sumptuous string arrangements. Fans eager to learn more about the narrative and its many themes – among them gender dysphoria and the inherent dangers of virtual reality – need not fear, because the band has completed a full-fledged screenplay to support it.

Sabrina Ellis says “Within our previous albums, the subject matter, the lyrics are all very personal, based on our experiences—self-centered, even,” Ellis explains. “In making this conceptual album, we had to find ourselves within, or project ourselves into, the principal characters. We developed them, got to know their minds, emotions, and motivations, and then expressed those in nine songs. The songs aren’t demonstrative as in musical theater. Instead, the songs are heated moments, internal expressions that stand on their own.”

Upcoming A Giant Dog Tour Dates

August
18 – Parish (Album Release Show) – Austin, TX
19 – Parish – Austin, TX
24 – Woodstockeboda – Alvesta, SE
25 – Get Lost Fest – Hamburg, DE
26 – Gutter City Fest – Copenhagen, DK
29 – Siate Reis Pub – Halden, NO
30 – Kafe Hærverk – Oslo, NO
31 – Hus 7 – Stockholm, SE

September
1 – Hush Hush Club – Jonkoping, SE
2 – NGBG Fest – Malmö, SE
3 – An der Autobahn – Berlin, DE
5 – Reifenlager West – Essen, DE
6 – Merlevn – Nijmegen, NL
7 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
8 – Mysty Fields – Asten-Heusden, NL
9 – Rock in the Barn – Vexin-sur-Epte, FR
10 – Frisson Acidulé – Vitry-sur-Sein, FR
13 – Le Trokson – Lyon, FR
14 – Secret Place – Montpellier, FR
15 – Gambeat Festival – Barcelona, ES
16 – El Diablo en el Esablo – Alcalà de Henares, ES
16 – Wurlitzer Ballroom – Madrid, ES
17 – Mojo Club – Tarragona, ES
19 – Il Fantasma dei Briganti – Cuneo, IT
20 – Blah Blah – Turin, IT
22 – Covo Club – Bologna, IT
24 – ISC Club – Bern, CH
25 – Horst – Kreuzlingen, CH
26 – Schokofabrik – Bayreuth, DE
27 – Immerhin – Würzburg, DE
28 – Alte Hackerei – Karlsruhe, DE
29 – Villa Nachttanz – Heidelberg, DE
30 – Spitalkirsche – Pfarrkirchen, DE

October
10 – Siberia – New Orleans, LA
11 – The EARL – Atlanta, GA
12 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
13 – Get Tight Lounge – Richmond, VA
14 – Metro – Baltimore, MD
15 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
17 – The Middle East – Boston, MA
18 – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY
19 – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY
21 – 123 Pleasant St. – Morgantown, WV
22 – Spirit – Pittsburgh, PA
23 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
24 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
25 – Icehouse – Minneapolis, MN
26 – Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
27 – Smoke and Barrel – Fayetteville, AR
28 – Mercury Lounge – Tulsa, OK
29 – Three Links Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX

November
6 – Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
7 – HQ – Denver, CO
8 – Beehive – Salt Lake City, UT
9 – The Olympic – Boise, ID
10 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
11 – Dante’s Hifi – Portland, OR
13 – Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
14 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
15 – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA
16 – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ

Pre-order Bite HERE.