After nine years, Tortoise return with Touch, their first album released outside of Thrill Jockey. That change is a fairly big deal. For decades, Thrill Jockey shaped the Chicago post-rock scene, and Tortoise were its anchor. Their move to International Anthem (a label led by musicians who grew up on their records) feels like a natural continuation rather than a restart.

“Vexations” opens with a fuzzy bass line that locks into a slow western rhythm. It sounds like Cowboys & Aliens (from someone who only ever saw the commercial, not the movie). The song is cinematic and apocalyptic, like a Muse album cover brought to life. “Works and Days” swings in the opposite direction, built on a loose rhythm that recalls A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It.” The band stretches that groove until it becomes a trance, layering bright synths that rise slowly without ever breaking.

The centerpiece, “Axial Seamount,” is the record’s highlight. It builds in steady waves until it feels ready to burst, then dips into a wall of static and keys that swallows everything in its path. The tension never resolves (which makes it hit harder) and that same restraint appears all throughout the record.

“Rated OG” follows with industrial rhythm and low-end distortion that sound physical, almost angry. “Night Gang” closes the record with slow, Just Like Honey drums and the return of those western guitars from the opener. It feels like the sequel to “Vexations,” the fight finished, the horizon clearing out. The final note fades quietly and lands exactly where it should.

Touch is broad in scope and uneven in tone. Recorded over several years in Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago, it carries the sound of distance. Each track feels shaped by a different room and a different weekend. That lack of cohesion can be distracting, but when it works (especially on “Axial Seamount”) the results are magnetic.

At its best, Touch feels like a long dream. Familiar tones drift in and out, pieces of melody spark recognition, and every listener will connect with a different corner of it. It is not their most focused record, but it is alive. Thirty years in, Tortoise are still searching, still listening, still following the sound wherever it leads.

Order Touch by Tortoise HERE