US / THEM: Equals stream full album early, see Austin quintet's brilliant paint-splattered video via Brooklyn Vegan

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“The densely layered songs all have their distinctive storyboard of moods and textures, each one a lovely surprise yet all somehow melding together to form a cohesive, cinematic whole.” — My Old Kentucky Blog

“Equals might sound improvised here and there, but this is controlled, carefully arranged stuff.” — Austin American Statesman

Austin art rock quintet Equals stream their entire full length album Tracts today ahead of its May 6th release date. Stream/share the full album HERE.

Equals recently shared the first video from the album via Brooklyn Vegan. The spectacularly artful and colorful clip for "Autotelic" is available to watch and share HERE.

The band hits the road for a series of shows in July, with the first batch of confirmed dates listed below.

Equals' music is dramatic, yet joyous and playful. The songs may sound simple at first, but complexity shines through after careful listening. Every song is meticulously arranged by bassist Alex Guzman, drummer Matt Toman, keyboardist Logan Wexler and guitarists Dylan Storey and Simon McDonald. Each part of every song -- from the angular pulsing rhythms to the crisp, eclectic samples -- has a purpose. The organic elements interweave with the synthetic elements, providing texture and layers that are extremely difficult to pull off live. Click tracks be damned, they fearlessly recreate multi-layered loops and samples, gracefully operating on the bleak notion that one wrong move can end a song in failure. Equals executes flawlessly, with character behind every note.

For Equals' debut full-length album Tracts, they joined producer Alex Bhore (This Will Destroy You) in the studio, recording nine songs, an expansion to their 2011 debut self-titled EP. The songs flow together, providing the soundtrack to a journey that feels forthcoming, unrealized until the final track. Unlike the band's previous EP, the album was recorded in one place at Cacophony Recorders in Austin and mixed at Elmwood Studios in Dallas, giving it a more cohesive sound. Working with Bhore again, their new offering is larger, more energetic, with a unique sonic palette of strings, glockenspiel, piano, analog synthesizers, various percussion instruments, field recordings and even vocals.

Tracts has a bounty of subtle music treats that the members painstakingly buried beneath solid foundations. All these elements, and various other influences, from R&B to folk music, make up the band's sound, but trying to define Equals' music is like trying to define the five band members as one personality.

Tracts will be available on LP, CD and download on May 6th, 2014. Pre-sale orders can be made via the band's webstore.

EQUALS LIVE:

07/15 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon *
07/16 New Orleans, LA @ Publiq House *
07/17 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's *
07/18 Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain *
07/19 Dallas, TX @ The Foundry *
07/25 Denver, CO @ Denver Post's The Underground Music Showcase
07/26 Denver, CO @ Denver Post's The Underground Music Showcase %
07/27 Denver, CO @ Denver Post's The Underground Music Showcase

* w/ New Madrid
% w/ Roadkill Ghost Choir