“Ordinary Day” by The Districts

The Districts recently unveiled their video for “Ordinairy Day”. The song is taken from their forthcoming release, Popular Manipulations, out August 11th on Fat Possum.

Rob Grote from the band says, “Lyrically, ‘Violet,’ deals with ideas of possessiveness, intimacy, sex, dependency, and how they’re used manipulatively. Kind of a look at how these things can be beautiful but are also used as devices, usually unconsciously which is the somewhat terrifying part. There is a pervasive thing throughout a lot of classic and modern popular music where ideas of ‘needing’ and referring to a romantic partner with a tone of ownership are normal and poignant lyrical topics. This song was using those same ideas but observing the strangeness in them, rather than celebrating them. Structurally the song reflects that strangeness by restraining and exploding somewhat irregularly.”

The distinctly intense sound of Popular Manipulations—charging guitars, thunderous drumming, and Grote’s searing vocals—was brought on by a few cited influences, from shoegaze’s aggressive swirl to the Velvet Underground’s impeccable drone-rock sound. But don’t mistake easy comparisons for a lack of originality: on Popular Manipulations, The Districts are in a lane entirely their own, exploring lyrical themes of isolation and abandonment in a way that ups the music’s already highly charged emotional quotient.

For such weighty thematic material, though, Popular Manipulations is purely life-affirming rock music, bursting with energy that cuts through the darkness of the world that surrounds us. “We’re a much better distillation of who we wish to be as a band,” Grote reflects on the journey that has led The Districts to this point. “We’ve figured out how to distill the things we’ve been trying to accomplish as a band, musically and lyrically. We’ve always viewed making music as something we’re trying to do better the whole time.”

Next week, The Districts continue their world tour in support of Popular Manipulations with a show supporting Ryan Adams and a stop at Lollapalooza. They follow that up with a string of Midwestern and Northeastern dates including a pair of shows with My Morning Jacket. After that, they kick off a European tour at Reading and Leeds Festivals. A full list of dates is below.

The Districts
Tour Dates:

8/03 – Chicago, IL – The Vic ^
8/04 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
8/06 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga
8/07 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
8/08 – Hamden, CT – The Ballroom at The Outer Space
8/10 – Columbus, OH – Express Live *
8/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
8/12 – North Adams, MA – Mass MoCA *
8/16 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
8/18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
8/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls
8/25 – Reading , UK – Reading Festival
8/26 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
8/27 – Hull, UK – Fruit
8/29 – Newcastle, UK – Cluny
8/30 – Edinburgh, UK – Caves
8/31 – Glasgow, UK – King Tuts
9/3 – Cambridge, UK – Portland Arms
9/5 – Nottingham, UK – Bodega
9/6 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
9/7 – Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
9/11 – Brighton, UK – Haunt
9/14 – Monthey, CH – Pont Rouge
9/15 – Milan, IT – Serraglio
9/17 – Darmstadt, DE – Golden Leaves Festival
9/18 – Zurich, CH – Werk 21
9/19 – Munich, DE – Strom
9/20 – Vienna, AT – Flex
9/22 – Berlin, DE – Muzik & Frieden
9/23- Hamburg, DE – Reeperbahn Festival
9/24 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
9/25 – Brussels, BE – Rotonde
9/27 – Hannover, DE – Faust
9/29 – Nuremberg, DE – Club Stereo
9/30 – Dortmund, DE – Way Back When Festival