The band, known for its accessible math rock and indie pop sensibility, parted with keyboardist Matt Bayles earlier last year as he left to concentrate on record production. Bayles, who has worked with the likes of Mastodon, The Blood Brothers, and Isis, returned to the studio with Minus the Bear to produce their first full-length in two years.
According to bassist Corey Murchy, Planet of Ice is, “the first album where we were all writing together as a team and Alex was definitely instrumental in that.” The new presence contributed greatly to the record, making it, “the most cohesive record we’ve done,” Murchy says. “I hate the term ‘organic,’ but that’s kind of the one term I can think of when comparing this to our other records because there’s a lot of weird electronic stuff going on there, but there’s some really raw riffage as well.”
The week their album comes out, Minus the Bear is scheduled to appear in-store at venues on the West Coast, such as easy Easy Street in Seattle, Ameoba‘s Berkeley location, and Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA. Planet of Ice will be inaugurated August 21 with a laser concert at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center.
Minus the Bear kick off their official tour September 22, a month and a day after the release of Planet of Ice.
Minus the Bear – “Throwin’ Shapes”, Planet of Ice
Upcoming Minus the Bear Tour Dates:
September 22 – Seattle, WA @ KNDD Endfest 16 at Qwest Field
September 23 – Spokane, WA @ Service Station
September 24 – Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
September 27 – Detroit, MI @ St Andrews Hall
September 28 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
September 28 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop – Late Show
September 29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
September 30 – Buffalo, NY @ Traif Music Hall
October 1 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
October 3 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
October 4 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
October 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
October 6 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
October 7 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
October 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
October 10 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
October 11 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
October 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
October 13 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
October 14 – Orlando, FL @ The Club at Firestone
October 15 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
October 16 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon
October 18 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
In-Store Events & Radio Sessions
August 20 – Seattle, WA @ Easy Street Records
August 21 – Seattle, WA @ Pacific Science Center Laserium Show
August 22 – Berkeley, CA @ Amoeba
August 24 – Long Beach, CA @ Fingerprints
October 8 – WXPN World Cafe