Ohmme have announced their debut album Parts, out August 24th on Joyful Noise Recordings. Along with the news they have shared a new video for “Icon”. Set at a dog’s birthday party, the video is a colourful collaboration between the band and director, Elijah Alvarado. Ohmme is comprised of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart.

Still in their 20s, Stewart and Cunningham are both classically trained musicians and established players within the Chicago music scene. They’re constant collaborators and have recorded and toured with homegrown acts as varied as Jeff Tweedy, Whitney, Chance The Rapper and Twin Peaks.

Cunningham and Stewart are multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriters with a penchant for two instruments in particular. “The band started because we knew we could sing well together and we wanted to make some noise with the guitar,” says Cunningham. Stewart elaborates, “Sima and I are both trained classical pianists and we know many of the sonic spaces keyboards have to offer. Since we were interested in experimenting and creating something different from what we had both done in the past, we chose guitar as our outlet for this band. We wanted to create both new and uncomfortable parameters for ourselves to force us into a different creative space.” These guitar-heavy experiments are sometimes earthy and resounding, at other times shimmering and buzzing—swirling around the duo’s expertly crafted vocals while creating a chaotic bed of harmony. Cunningham’s smoky alto complements Stewart’s higher-register croon, all underpinned by the restrained yet highly inventive polyrhythmic percussion of drummer Matt Carroll. Think Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian-era Dirty Projectors.

Enlisting fellow Chicago cohorts Doug McCombs (Tortoise), Ken Vandermark and cellist Tomeka Reid, Ohmme recorded and self-produced Parts from Cunningham’s Logan Square home studio, Fox Hall. With Parts, Ohmme “wanted to capture a moment in time instead of something perfect.” The results are thrilling: from the pure pop opening track “Icon” to the candied sludge of “Peach” to the skipping rhythms of “Parts” and the dusky closer “Walk Me,” Parts draws from influences as diverse as Kate Bush and Brian Eno’s Here Come the Warm Jets to jazz and improvisational music.

Ohmme
Parts
Track listing

1. Icon
2. Grandmother
3. Parts
4. Water
5. Liquor Cabinet
6. Peach
7. Sentient Beings
8. Left Handed
9. Walk Me

Ohmme Tour Dates

Sun. Jul. 8 – Chicago, IL – West Fest
Sat. Aug. 11 – Milwaukee, WI – Catalano Park
Sat. Aug. 25 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Sun. Aug. 26 – Detroit, MI – Deluxe Fluxx
Mon. Aug 27 – Toronto, ON – The Monarch
Tue. Aug. 28 – Montreal, Que – Casa Del Popolo
Wed. Aug. 29 – Burlington, VER – Arts Riot
Thu. Aug. 30 – Boston, MA – Great Scott
Fri. Aug. 31 – Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace
Sat. Sep. 1 – Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
Sun. Sep. 2 – Washington, DC – Blackcat Backstage
Mon. Sep. 3 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter
Wed. Sep. 5 – Birmingham, AL – Firehouse
Thu. Sep. 6 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Fri. Sep. 7 – Austin, TX – Mohawk (Inside Stage)
Sat. Sep. 8 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Mon. Sep. 10 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Tue. Sep. 11 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Wed. Sep. 12 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Fri. Sep. 14 – Portland, OR – Kelly’s Olympian
Sat. Sep. 15 – Vancover, CA – Westwartd Fest
Sun. Sep. 16 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
Mon. Sep. 17 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Tue. Sep. 18 – Salt Lake City, ID – Kilby Court
Wed. Sep. 19 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Fri. Sep. 21 – Lincoln, NE – Lincoln Calling
Sat. Sep. 22 – Grinnel, IA – Gardner Lounge
Sun. Sep. 23 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
Tue. Sep. 25 – Mikwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
Wed. Sep. 26 – St. Louis – The Monocle
Thu. Sep. 27 – Indianapolis, IN – State Street Pub
Fri. Sep. 28 – Knoxville, TN – The Pilot Light
Sat. Sep. 29 – Asheville, NC – Mothlight
Sun. Sep. 30 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook
Mon. Oct. 1 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery