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Fun rock show! Conjuring a bold new version of psychedelia informed by hard rock, R&B, electronica, and pop, this is their first stop in Morro Bay.

Austin-based indie psychedelic band The Bright Light Social Hour kick off spring

with new single “Not New” announced alongside news of tour dates and a new

album, Emergency Leisure, coming August 2 via Escondido Sound. Founded by

Jackie O’Brien (bass/vocals) and Curtis Roush (guitar/vocals) – and newly joined

by Mia Carruthers (keys/vocals), Zac Catanzaro (drums) and Juan Alfredo Ríos

(percussion) – the band’s latest single showcases the sound of the forthcoming

project, melding Texas trippiness with irresistible disco-punk groove. There’s an

equally lysergic music video accompanying the track, in vintage Bright Light Social

Hour style.

“In 2019 we did a tour we didn’t realize would be our last. At least for TBLSH as

we knew it. Emergency Leisure is a fictional autobiography from this period,

centered on a seminal, hedonistic night at Bar L’Escogriffe in Montreal – our own

Tropic of Cancer of sorts. “Not New” kicks off the odyssey, a new beginning in our

Fool’s Journey. ” –Jackie O’Brien

The band’s sound is iconoclastic and ever-evolving, with four studio albums to

date including the critically acclaimed Space Is Still the Place and Jude I & II. In

addition to composing original soundtracks for HBO, MTV, and Nintendo, they also

wrote and recorded the award-winning theme for Amazon’s “Sneaky Pete” at the

request of Bryan Cranston. The band is widely known for their explosive live

performances, including festivals such as Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza, as

well as opening for Aerosmith, Osees, and The Flaming Lips. Their inventive

sound has garnered critical acclaim with support from the likes of CLASH, NPR,

The Wild Honey Pie, Earmilk and plenty more.

The new single showcases a band reaching peak song-writing prowess, a tight yet

bewildering journey with groove-rich drums, psychedelic synths and a dirty

dancefloor payoff that would make Nile Rodgers blush. With further singles, a new

album, and much touring on the horizon, 2023 is looking like an incredible year for

the Austin-based outfit.

“‘Not New’ is a late night smoldering in a Québécois alley punctuated by three-part

harmony, dusty driving drums, fat Mustang bass, glitter and congas. It’s our first

single as a renewed band in advance of our fifth album, a homespun moody after

hours soundtrack to strange times called Emergency Leisure.” –Curtis Roush

“Transportive… like you’re floating off to a galaxy far, far away.” – Vice

“Surreal, dreamlike… take me right to bed vocals.” — The Denver Post

“A lush, space-western odyssey.” – Consequence of Sound

“A touch of grunge, a little grime, and lots of spacey, psychedelic mind-melting

sounds.” — Leafly

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