US / THEM: The Poison Arrows (ex-Don Caballero, Thumbnail) launch 2nd single from forthcoming album on Solid Brass Records

Chicago trio The Poison Arrows share a new single from their forthcoming fifth album today via New Noise Magazine. The album Crime and Soda will be available June 16th via Solid Brass Records. The single, "The Joy Amber Scam" is available to hear and share HERE (Direct Bandcamp.)

Pre-order/pre-save via the DSP of your choice HERE.

The Poison Arrows formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 2006 with Adam Reach on drums, Patrick Morris on bass (ex-Don Caballero), and Justin Sinkovich (ex-Thumbnail, Atombombpocketknife) on guitar, keyboards, and vocals.

On the heels of 2022’s War Regards and after fifteen years of musical telepathy, Crime and Soda, is arguably the most balanced offering from The Poison Arrows. Their 5th LP showcases the band’s keen ability to balance softer, more contemplative periods held together by a dark and driving rhythm section with their signature moody-math intensity and complexity.

“Mercurial Moments Erased”, the first single, is about absorbing unpredictable changes in a loved one’s temperament and finding solace in deleting it from one’s memory bank. It features one of the Chicago trio’s quintessential obtuse lock groove constructions.

The signature Patrick Morris bass intro of “Joy Amber Scam” escalates into a math rock frenzy as the use some of their most intricate musical trickery to fuse together a frenetic sound reminiscent of June of 44, King Crimson, and Protomartyr, while Sinkovich tells a true story of how he got scammed in Mexico, an episode which started by shooting tequila in a jewelry story, and ended with Justin turning tables on his antagonists by having their entire business’s bank account shut down.

The third single and title track, “Crime and Soda”, deviates from the band’s mathier, post-rock tendencies and starts with a dark, slow piano piece recalling bands like Arab Strap or The Black Heart Procession. “Crime and Soda” is about giving up on someone who has become consumed by their consumption of “crime and sodas,”; a fictitious drink fabricated for this track.

The Poison Arrows have deep roots in the Chicago independent music scene and have played with countless bands that orbit their unique sound, including: Battles, Boris, Drahla, Drive Like Jehu, Film School, Girls Against Boys, June of 44, Man or Astroman?, Mudhoney, Polvo, and many more. Previous albums have included guest appearances from Brian Case of 90 Day Men and FACS, Scott McCloud from Girls Against Boys, Mia Clarke from Electrelane, Pall Jenkins from The Black Heart Procession, and numerous others.

Crime and Soda was recorded in Electrical Audio’s Studio A with Greg Norman, mixed by Brian Deck at Narwhal Studios, and mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. The album will be available on LP and download on June 16th, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

POISON ARROWS LIVE 2023:

June 09 Dubuque IA @ The Lift w/ Products Band (Solid Brass Records labelmates!)

June 10 Chicago IL @ The Empty Bottle w/ Products Band (Solid Brass Records labelmates!)