March 2nd, sees the release of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat new LP Riddles, produced by Dan Deacon and their debut for Carpark Records. Ahead of its release, the duo are sharing their new single “Seagull.” Ed Schrader’s Music Beat start their global tour on March 1st in Baltimore, MD.

In search of a fresh direction, Ed and Devlin invited their close friend, electronic-pop maestro and fellow Baltimore-based artist Dan Deacon, to expand their sound and experiment with them as the album’s producer, arranger, and co-writer. Working steadily in Dan’s studio for two years in total collaboration, three evolving musicians pushed through an intense period of personal tumult and found purpose in the sounds they were committing to record.

Dan, Ed, and Devlin all poured emotions produced by major life changes into these sessions. While in Puerto Rico on a rare vacation, Ed learned of the death of his stepfather, a charismatic but abusive figure who’d cast a dominant shadow on his formative years (feelings explored on the elegant “Tom,” and crucial to the flow of the album). Devlin sat at the bedside of his brother, who’d long lived with a terminal illness, as he saw through his choice to die with dignity. And Dan’s longest relationship, which had stretched across his entire career as a musician thus far, came to an end. “I looked forward to these sessions when everything else in life was a shit-show,” recalls Devlin, who began the record commuting from Providence to Baltimore, but moved into Dan’s studio as it neared completion.

“For me, the album parallels feelings of confronting the past, resolving it, facing the music, and blasting out of it,” says Ed. “It’s the album our hearts wanted us to make.” Riddles is a full-length collaboration between Ed Schrader’s Music Beat and Dan Deacon. All three people invested their souls into this record for two full years, and it shows.

Tour dates
3/1 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
3/3 – Washington, DC@ Comet Ping Pong
3/4 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings
3/5 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
3/6 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
3/7 – Nashville, TN @ Found Object Records (presented by DRKMTTR)
3/9 – Atlanta, GA @ Mammal Gallery
3/13 – Dallas, TX @ Transit Bicycle Company
3/14 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
3/15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/19 – Hot Springs, AK @ VOV Fest
3/20 – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
3/21 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
3/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
3/24 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
3/26 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
3/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
3/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Make Out Room
3/31 – Portland, OR @ The Know
4/1 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
4/4 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
4/5 – Minneapolis, MN @ Kitty Cat Klub
4/6 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
4/7 – Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters Rock N Roll Palace
4/8 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
4/8 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
4/10 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G
4/11 – Winooski, VT @ Monkey House
4/12 – Providence, RI @ AS220
4/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits
4/15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
5/1 – Edinburgh, Scotland @ Sneaky Pete’s
5/2 – Glasgow, Scotland @ The Hug and Pint
5/6 – Manchester, UK @ Sounds from the Other City Festival
5/7 – London, UK @ Moth Club
5/8 – Paris, France @ Espace B
5/10 – Madrid, Spain @ El Sol – Sound Isidro
5/14 – Lyon, France @ Grrnd Zero
5/16 – Lausanne, Switzerland @ Le Bourg
5/17 – Esslingen, Germany @ Komma
5/18 – Prague, Czech Republic @ 007 Club
5/20 – Berlin, Germany @ ACUD Macht Neu
5/23 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Cinetol
5/25 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ WORM