Austin-based JOVM mainstays The Black Angels — currently Alex Maas (vocals, bass), Christian Bland (guitar), Stephanie Bailey (drums), Jake Garcia (guitar) and multi-instrumentalist Ramiro Verdooren — released their sixth album Wilderness of Mirrors last fall through through Partisan Records. Co-produced by the band and Brett Orrison with engineering by John Agnello, Wilderness of Mirrors finds the band attempting to achieve something fresh and new through a gentle and subtle refinement of the sound that has won them fans across the globe.
Throughout the album’s material, the band adds mellotron, string arrangements and an assortment of different keyboards to the mix, which adds different textures to their overall sound. Thematically, the album continues upon their long-held reputation for touching upon contemporary concerns — in particular, our uncertain and urgent moment of political tumult, the pandemic, and the ongoing devastation of the environment and its long-term implications to us and our descendants, among others.
Late last year, I wrote about four of the album’s released singles:
- “El Jardín,” a single, which at first glance is classic Black Angels: Bailey’s thunderous time keeping, Maas’ plaintive falsetto and supple bass lines paired with layers upon layers of guitar pyrotechnics and effects from Bland and Garcia — but the song’s sparking and brooding bridge sees the band adding bursts of twinkling Rhodes to the mix. Written from the perspective of our dear Mother Earth, “El Jardín” is a forceful and urgent warning to all of us: destroying the environment will ultimately lead to the destruction of humanity.
- “Firefly,” a loving yet classic Black Angels-like homage to 60s French pop, featuring a guest spot from Thievery Corporation‘s LouLou Ghelickhani, who contributes sultrily delivered vocals in French and English, alongside Maas’ imitable falsetto and paired with a hook-driven arrangement featuring reverb-drenched guitars, Maas’ supple and propulsive bass lines, some simple yet forceful timekeeping from Bailey and twinkling keys.
- “Without A Trace,” a bit of classic, Passover through Directions to See a Ghost-era Black Angels centered around fuzzy and distorted power chords, a reverb-drenched guitar solo, Bailey’s thunderous and propulsive time keeping paired with Maas’ imitable vocal delivery and supple bass lines. The song sonically and thematically is an eerie and brooding meditation that asks “is is still possible to be invincible when everyone else is expendable.”
- “Empires Falling,” a scorching, politically charged ripper that examines humanity’s repetitive art of violent mass destruction. Built around scorching, power chord driven riffs, Maas’ imitable falsetto, a driving rhythm section powered by Bailey’s forceful time keeping, the song continues a run of material that harkens back to their earliest releases but fueled by an urgency informed by our desperate, uneasy time.
The album’s fifth and latest single “History of the Future” is a classic Black Angels headbanger built around scorching guitar riffage, Maas’ falsetto delivering lysergic-tinged lyrics, Bailey’s forcefully propulsive time keeping paired with the Austin-based JOVM mainstays unerring knack for rousingly anthemic, mosh pit friendly hooks and choruses.
Directed by Clever Cardoso and filmed in Terlingua, TX, the accompanying video was inspired by Pink Floyd‘s famous Live at Pompeii concert film, and captures the band playing the song amidst the immensity of the mountains surrounding them.
The JOVM mainstays are currently on the road to support the new album, and they announced a string of dates with The Dandy Warhols this fall. Check out the tour dates below.
The Black Angels 2023 tour dates:
June 12 2023 / US / Milwaukee, WI / The Rave *
June 13 2023 / US / West Cedar Rapids, IA / Club 5 *
June 14 2023 / US / St. Louis, MO / The Pageant *
June 16 2023 / US / Omaha, NE / The Admiral Theater *
June 17 2023 / US / Kansas City, MO / Uptown Theater *
June 18 2023 / US / Denver, CO / Ogden Theater *
*w/ Rival Sons
August 04 2023 / UK / London / Crystal Palace Bowl (w/ Primal Scream)
August 06 2023 / CH / Bagnes / Palp Festival
August 08 2023 / AT / Feldkirch Poolbar Festival
August 12 2023 / PT / Ancora / SonicBlast Festival
August 18 2023 / FR / Saint Malo / La Route du Rock
August 20 2023 / CH / Bagnes / Winterthurer Musikfestwochen
October 6 2023 / US / Tempe, AZ / Marquee Theater **
October 7 2023 / US / Tucson, AZ / 191 Toole **
October 8 2023 / US / Pioneertown, CA / Pappy & Harriets **
October 9 2023 / US / San Diego, CA / Observatory North Park **
October 10 2023 / US / Los Angeles, CA / The Bellweather **
October 11 2023 / US / Pomona, Ca / Glass House **
October 13 2023 / US / Ventura, CA / Ventura Theater **
October 14 2023 / US / San Francisco, CA / The Fillmore **
October 15 2023 / US / San Francisco, CA / The Fillmore **
October 17 2023 / US / Seattle / Neptune
October 18 2023 / US / Portland, OR / Roseland **
October 19 2023 / US / Vancouver, BC / Vogue **
October 25 2023 / US / Dallas, TX / Ferris Wheelers Backyard and BBQ **
**w/ The Dandy Warhols
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