[melter] - blacklist

Chicago duo [melter] have released their visceral new single and video, ‘blacklist’, ahead of upcoming tour dates of the US Midwest and East Coast, spanning July, August, and September 2024. Premiering ‘blacklist’ exclusively with CVLT Nation on Friday (5 July 2024), CVLT Nation’s Meghan MacRae described ‘blacklist’ as “raw noise meets darkwave and industrial to make a swirling gothic sound brew that will have you thrashing one second and dancing another.”

[melter]’s Jax Allos meanwhile told CVLT Nation:

“…‘blacklist’ started off as a looped workout song that I would vocalize over, and with the lyrics, it became an anthem for myself. It was kind of my way of saying to myself, and all of us, really, that You have so much fucking potential: don’t you realize how powerful you really are? When did you give up and decide it was okay to settle and sell out to the man, playing the game they set up, dying slow deaths?”

[melter] are Jax Allos and Robert Hyman, “a sonic disturbance made of flesh, blood, and machine”. The new single ‘blacklist’, together with its jarring and disquieting, grainy black and white video, showcase [melter]’s trademark blend of Jax’s powerful, soaring vocals and Rob’s propulsive battery of live drums and industrial electronics; fused with Jax’s heavy distorted bass, Rob’s dark atmospheric synths, and raw noise elements. ‘blacklist’ has been mixed and produced with post-punk / deathrock / darkwave legend William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith and the Muse, et al) at Chicago’s 13 Studio; while the video is created by MoK Films and [melter].Rob Hyman says of the track:

“Musically the song took off once Jax supplied me with her vocal melody and lyrics. She had built off of a musical idea I started which is the electronic foundation of the song, but which finally became a [melter] track after the drums, bass and vocals were added to it. ‘blacklist’ is very representative of where [melter] is as a band right now. The song evolved into a powerful and driving backbone to Jax’s dynamic and textured vocal performance. Working with William Faith on the mix helped to present it as strongly as we had envisioned it while wiring it.”

[melter] are soon to embark on a string of tour dates with Pittsburgh’s Hemlock for Socrates. The two bands’ Summer Tour kicks off in Louisville, Kentucky on July 26th, before taking in dates mainly across the US Midwest (Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois), and winding up with homecoming shows in Chicago, IL, and Pittsburgh, PA, on 10 and 11 August 2024. Of the upcoming tour with Hemlock for Socrates, Rob and Jax say:

Rob: “This is our first tour, so we are excited to play cities we’ve not played before and to perform to new audiences. Getting to spend more time with Hemlock for Socrates and enjoying life on the road for a few weeks. Jax and I end up living [melter] 24/7 when we are on the road and it really helps to spur new ideas and provide a lot of focus for what is next for us.”

Jax: “I’m excited to continue growing our friendship with Heather and Kegan from Hemlock for Socrates, and I can’t wait for us to share all our stories from many years of music creation. I’m ecstatic about travelling, in part because I can tackle some of the things on [melter]'s to-do list while Rob is driving. Like Rob said, living the [melter] life 24/7. I'll maintain productivity and brings me so much joy, you have no idea! Because, it's the little things, right?”

In September, [melter] once again hit the road, this time for the Imperfect Waves Tour across the East Coast, alongside “Chicago glampires” Plasmata, and Cleveland industrial-rock / dark synth outfit 2 Forks.

‘blacklist’ from [melter] is out now via Bandcamp as a 3-track single, featuring live versions of ‘blacklist’, and earlier track ‘Raw’, originally from the band’s self-titled debut EP (May 2023).

Hemlock for Socrates and [melter] - Summer Tour 2024

26 July – Louisville, KY – Art Sanctuary

27 July – Columbus, OH – The Spacebar

31 July – Ypsilanti, MI – Ziggy’s

1 August – Madison, WI – Crucible

2 August – Grand Rapids, MI – Mulligan’s

3 August – Fort Wayne, IN – The Ruin

8 August – Cincinnati, OH – The Comet

9 August – Alton, IL – The Conservatory

10 August – Chicago, IL – Bourbon on Division

11 August – Pittsburgh, PA – The Government Center

Plasmata, [melter], and 2 Forks -Imperfect Waves Tour: September 2024