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Los Angeles’ Allah-Las have dropped a new single, the sparkling and stutter--stepped “Right On Time.” The song is another tease of the band’s forthcoming new album Zuma 85 which will be released on October 13 via the band’s own label, Calico Discos, in partnership with Innovative Leisure, which released earlier defining statements from the band including the eponymously named Allah-Las (2012) and Worship The Sun (2014).
Like the album as a whole, “Right On Time '' represents a new chapter for the band as they embrace the influences of late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, the ‘70s mutant pop of Peter Ivers and early Eno and Roxy Music. Allah-Las self-produced video for the single pays homage to the classic plug-and-play video shoots of the early MTV era, shot in a few hours on a white backdrop with minimal planning and a few rolls of 8mm film, the second video release from the forthcoming album "Zuma 85" captures spontaneous moments of absurdity, along with a few properly synched video clips.
Allah-Las confirmed Summer and Fall Tour dates including headline shows and festival dates across the US and Europe. The Zuma 85 Tour kicks off August 8 in Boston, MA and runs through November 18 with the last show in San Francisco, CA with more dates to be announced. Along the way they will play at New York City’s Rockaway Beach on August 4 at the Rockaway Beach Hotel and at Lodge Room in Los Angeles on November 15 (with Mirror Tree and Kolumbo as support) and November 16 (with Tim Hall and Sam Burton as support). All announced shows are listed below and tickets are available here.
On October 13, Los Angeles’ Allah-Las will release their new album, Zuma 85.
They have teased the album with lead single “The Stuff” (b/w the "Zuma 85" title track) and now share the official video for the track. Upon release, the single was supported by Line of Best Fit, Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan and MXDWN, among others. Austin Town Hall noted, “"You can’t deny that the band still have the effortless cool locked in here" and Buzzbands LA said, “They’re calling it a reinvention, and one only needs to hear ‘The Stuff,’ to hear their songwriting engine change gears." The captivating video was directed by Sam Kristofski who captures the band as they traverse through their native Los Angeles, from a cigarette stand in North Hollywood to the LA river. The video poignantly juxtaposes the nostalgia of the analog era with the pulsating energy of the digital age, reflecting on the evolution of the music industry.
Dates & tickets for Allah-Las upcoming shows are available at this link.
Los Angeles’ Allah-Las have announced the October 13 release of their new album, Zuma 85. Today they share the first taste of the new album via the lead single and LP opener, “The Stuff,” b/w the title track “Zuma 85.” The glammy and electronic strut “The Stuff” signals the start of a new era for Allah-Las, and finds the band reinventing itself in defiance of the algorithmic categorization and robotic sterility. Showing another side of the album the instrumental “Zuma 85” features field recordings with chimes that precede Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra)-style guitars, which drift aquatically over a motorik rhythm and hazy synths.
Sharing a name with “Zuma 85” is a photo of an abandoned house by California photographer John Divola. Selected by Correia, the band’s resident photography head and album art designer, it juxtaposes a visage of man-made chaos against the natural beauty of the West Coast. It served as an unspoken reference point for the album, a symbolic totem indicative of a new era.
“‘The Stuff’ is a tongue-in-cheek ode to rock tropes and nostalgic sentiments in the music world, including stereotypes of musicians and various trends in music,” says the band.
Allah-Las have confirmed Summer and Fall Tour dates that include headline shows and festival dates across the US, Mexico and Europe. The tour kicks off June 15 in Oslo, NO and concludes November 18 in San Francisco, CA. Along the way they wll play at New York City’s Rockaway Beach on August 4 at the Rockaway Beach Hotel and at The Lodge Room in Los Angeles on November 15 and November 16.
Zuma 85 is being released via the band’s own label, Calico Discos, in partnership with Innovative Leisure, which released earlier defining statements from the band including the eponymously named Allah-Las (2012) and Worship The Sun (2014).
The pandemic induced downtime of 2020-2022 opened up space for the band members to focus on their own lives and interests, and the time to re-envision what creative processes could look like. When it came time to reconvene, a sense of looseness proved pivotal. Instead of bringing finished songs to the studio, they entered the picturesque Panoramic House recording in Stinson Beach with sketches, ideas, and riffs. Working with co-producer Jeremy Harris (White Fence, Devendra Banhart, Ty Segall) they shaped and crafted the new songs in real time over three sessions, which were then mixed in Los Angeles by frequent collaborator Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Avalanches, Purple Mountains).
It was clear from the get go the bucolic environment—observed through picture windows overlooking Stinson Beach and Bolinas Bay—would be conducive to creating the first statement from Allah-Las 2.0. “We got in real late that first night of the first session,” Michaud says. “It was around midnight. We had a quick intro and Jeremy had a bottle of wine. We had a little and he said, ‘You wanna start recording?’”
They did. And when the group reassembled the following morning to listen back, they found the sparkling and stutter--stepped “Right On Time” mostly done. It was unlike anything the band had ever recorded but felt entirely natural. “Everything just worked,” Michaud says. “That studio just pulls it out of you.”
Zuma 85 finds the Allah-Las departing familiar territory and embracing the influence of late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, the ‘70s mutant pop of Peter Ivers and early Eno and Roxy Music, and textures borrowed from Japanese pop and loner-folk obscurities. There are kosmische zones, like the Popol Vuh-evoking “Hadal Zone,” anthemic and electronic boogies like “The Stuff” and “Sky Club,” and arch prog on tunes like “GB BB” and “Smog Cutter.”
For the last 15 years, Allah-Las have alchemically melded surf rock washes with folk rock jangle and rock, building up their lauded music podcast, Reverberation Radio, and record label, Calico Discos, in the process. A lot has changed since the group first bonded over psych rock vinyl in the back room at Amoeba Records in the late aughts and Zuma 85 finds the quartet facing a new world with a wealth of new sounds.
Allah-Las are Matthew Correia (drums/vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass, guitar, vocals), Miles Michaud (guitar, organ, vocals), and Pedrum Siadatian (guitar, synth, vocals).