JOVM mainstays Bambara — twin brothers Reid Bateh (lead vocals, guitar) and Blaze Bateh (drums), and William Brookshire (bass) — will be releasing their highly-anticipated Graham Sutton-produced fourth album, Birthmarks through Wharf Cat Records on March 14, 2025.
Birthmarks is reportedly a wild, musically adventurous collection of songs that follows a host of lost characters caught in a cycle of love, violence and rebirth. The result is material that may arguably be their most apocalyptic and poignant.
Earlier this month, I wrote about “Letters from Sing Sing,” a story and forceful rager, anchored around swirling shoegazer-like textures, Blaze Bateh’s thunderous, mathematically precise rhythmic patterns, Brookshire’s angular post-punk bass grooves serving as a lush yet tense and uneasy bed for Reid Bateh’s sonorous baritone.
The album’s final pre-release single “Face of Love” is a decided change in sonic direction for the trio: The brooding and atmospheric twilight-like track seems inspired by Cocteau Twins , Massive Attack, Portishead and the like featuring boom-bap beats, twinkly harp from LEYA’s Marilu Donovan, guest vocals from Madeline Johnston (Midwife) paired with Reid Bateh’s sing-speaking delivery detailing a story about a man at a diner, who encounters a server that reminds him of someone from his past.
“The story begins when a server at a diner reminds a man of a woman from his past,” Bambara’s Reid Bateh says. “Inspiration for the music came from listening to Cocteau Twins songs reversed and slowed down. It features guest lead vocals from Madeline Johnston (Midwife), backing vocals by Jen Monroe and harp played by Marilu Donovan (LEYA).”
The band will be supporting the album with an extensive touring schedule across the US, UK and Europe that includes a March 7, 2025 stop at Baby’s All Right and an October 16, 2025 stop at Bowery Ballroom. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
| Bambara UK & EU Tour |
| 03/07 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right |
| 04/16 – Nantes, FR – Stereolux |
| 04/18 – Tilburg, NL – Roadburn Festival |
| 04/19 – Esche, LU – Out Of The Crowd Festival |
| 04/22 – Brighton, UK – Komedia |
| 04/23 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds |
| 04/24 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club |
| 04/25 – Glasgow, UK – Room 2 |
| 04/26 – Salford, UK – The White Hotel |
| 04/28 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece |
| 04/29 – London, UK – The Garage |
| 05/01 – Brussels, BE – AB Club |
| 05/02 – Groningen, NL – Vera |
| 05/03 – Hamburg, DE – Molotow |
| 05/06 – Stockholm, SE – Bar Brooklyn |
| 05/07 – Oslo, NO – Blä |
| 05/09 – Copenhagen, DK – Loppen |
| 05/10 – Berlin, DE – Lido |
| 05/12 – Munich, DE – Ampere |
| 05/13 – Cologne, DE – Helios 37 |
| 05/14 – Reims, FR – La Cartonnerie |
| 05/15 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie |
| 9/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s |
| 9/19 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery |
| 9/20 – Durham, NC – Local 506 |
| 9/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl |
| 9/25 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room |
| 9/29 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace |
| 9/30 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar |
| 10/1 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar |
| 10/2 – Los Angeles, CA – El Cid (Late Show) |
| 10/4 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar |
| 10/6 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios |
| 10/7 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern |
| 10/8 – Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret |
| 10/10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court |
| 10/11 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive |
| 10/13 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry |
| 10/14 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle |
| 10/16 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom |
| 10/17 – Toronto, ON – The Dance Cave |
| 10/19 – Montreal, QC – L’Escogriffe |
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