TEKE::TEKE have announced new North American tour dates, which includes the band’s first ever shows in the United States. The Montreal band released their debut album Shirushi—released earlier this year via Kill Rock Stars. Presale tickets for the tour are on sale tomorrow, and general sale will begin on Friday.

The band have also shared a new video for “Kala Kala,” Shirushi’s lead single. “Kala Kala,” much like TEKE::TEKE, is an onomatopoeia. Here it’s the sound of ‘rattling’ or ‘clattering’. The lyrics, which vocalist Maya Kuroki wrote, explore the theme of identity, gender, and the ambiguity of it all through her wild signature poetry in Japanese. “Cluttering refers to the sound of masks changing fast, or a spinning wheel, or anything that moves in a kind of cycle. It’s just an image I had when thinking about identity and everybody’s quest for one, or quest for some kind of meaning as a living being,” guitarist Serge Nakauchi-Pelletier explains. “For yet another DIY video, we just wanted to go crazy with the visuals to match the energy of the music, using Maya’s colorful illustrations.”

As demonstrated on singles like the ferocious “Meikyu,” otherworldly “Yoru Ni,” and fierce “Barbara,” each track on Shirushi plays out like a lost classic soundtrack with its own genre and storyline, even for those who may not have the benefit of the literal translation of Kuroki’s lyrics. The band incorporates traditional instruments, influences from ‘60’s/70s Japanese soundtracks, and the sentimental balladry of Japanese enka — yet Shirushi manages to sound as if it comes from some distant future.

After initially forming as a tribute band for Japanese guitar legend Takeshi Terauchi, TEKE::TEKE learned that they had to tear up their surf-tinged covers and build something new. Since then, the band has expanded their already wide scope into a dazzling journey through classic Japanese balladry and Brazilian psychedelia alike. Fusing everything from traditional Japanese instrumentation to punk guitar, TEKE::TEKE have created their own musical universe.

TEKE::TEKE
Live Dates

Jan. 13 Ottawa, ON @ Club Saw
Jan. 14 Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
Jan. 20 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Jan. 26 Winnipeg, MB @ Winterruption Festival – West End Cultural
Jan. 27 Regina, SK @ Winterruption Festival – Artesian
Jan. 28 Saskatoon, SK @ Winterruption Festival – Amigos
Jan. 29 Calgary, AB @ Big Winter Classic Festival – Broken City
Feb. 1 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
Feb. 2 Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Feb. 3 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Feb. 5 Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers (Free Show)
Feb. 9 Denton, TX @ University Union Lyceum (University of North Texas)

Order Shirushi by TEKE::TEKE HERE

Order tickets for TEKE::TEKE HERE