Protomartyr asked fellow Detroit rocker Iggy Pop to officially announce their new album Hotel Usona (out September 25 on Domino), and he returned with a laudatory and predictably wild note about the band’s bonafides.“What is a Protomartyr? I don't really know, but I imagine it may refer to an earthly being who wants a little more than the usual shit out of life,” writes Pop.
“A person or persons who want to be part of something beautiful and interesting, with the understanding that you may pay a price for that, and that others who come after will have an easier time.Kind of like Jesus.” Pop goes on to compare their new album as “Wagnerian,” reminding him of the opera Tristan and Isolde.
You can read the full note at the bottom of the post.The announcement arrives with a hibachi-themed video for Hotel Usona’s lead single “Sounds We Cannot Hear.” You can also check that out below.Protomartyr—singer Joe Casey, drummer Alex Leonard, bassist Scott Davidson, and multi-instrumentalist Greg Ahee—recorded the album with producer Dave Fridmann.
The band will support the release this fall with a tour of North America and Europe.Revisit our review of Protomartyr’s last album, Formal Growth in the Desert.Hotel Usona01 The Old Hotel02 Sounds We Cannot Hear03 Converts04 Exalted Eagles05 The Knife Dream06 Feed the Sewer07 Lavender – Gospel08 Third Country09 Checking OutProtomartyr: Hotel Usona$29.99 at Rough TradeIggy Pop on Protomartyr:What is a Protomartyr? I don't really know, but I imagine it may refer to an earthly being who wants a little more than the usual shit out of life.A person or persons who want to be part of something beautiful and interesting, with the understanding that you may pay a price for that, and that others who come after will have an easier time.
Kind of like Jesus.So then there is Protomartyr the band.Four guys who are very, very skilled musicians and creators who I suspect would be totally fucked without the intervention ...