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Indie Rockers Incoming: Titus Andronicus Takes Brooklyn, Breaks Big News

Preview by: Lauren Sauer

Editors Note: Lauren Sauer joins us via Brooklyn, NY as of last week.  Big welcome to the GoodBAMMCrew!

No, no—not Shakespeare’s homicidal military man. We meant the band. If you haven’t heard Titus Andronicus’ witty lyricisms by now, you should probably make a point of it. As a ragtag bunch of indie kids, they’ve certainly made the news, what with so many upcoming projects: just this past Wednesday, a new single was announced, as was the schedule for a series of vinyl releases. ‘Stranded’ (On My Own)’, is already up on the band’s site, and is just waiting for some eager little ears. Hop to, music junkies—the general has spoken.

On July 7th, the band started releasing comportments of what they’re calling the ‘7-Inch’ series. Confirmed tracks on the 7-Inch series—#SEVENSEVENINCHES, if you want to tweet about it—encompass a pretty wide variety of sound so far. Some will feature re-releases of earlier material: think 2008’s The Airing of Grievances and other youngling LP material; the rest will showcase newer sounds. The July 7th cut will feature the aforementioned new single, ‘Stranded (On My Own)’, with The Wicked Kind’s ‘Sport’ as the B-side. Be excited. Be very, very excited.

The Jersey-based rockers may not have been making as much noise as usual since their 2012 album, Local Business, but they’ve definitely had something in the works: September has a thirty-song rock opera, with accompanying videos, slated for reveal as well. Rock operas have always had mixed reception—the discrepancy between high art and low art, and all of those solipsistic shenanigans—but we can only expect the best from our Jersey boys.

From what we were able to glean from several interviews, the band has thrown out a loose outline of the rock opera—a young man struggling with self-actualization, and trudging through a quest for self-identity. Overdone? Not necessarily—the key to any good narrative is how the story is told, not the content of it. Seeing what Titus Andronicus comes out with this fall should be interesting, to say the least. They certainly have the musical chops to do so, not to mention catchy, biting lyrics to go along with it.

Lastly: If you’re a tri-state local, be sure to get to the Brooklyn Night Bazaar on July 11th: Titus Andronicus is playing live for free (yes, we said free), supported by the Buzzcocks. Other New England locales to be graced with the band’s presence throughout August include Hamden (CT), Pawtucket (RI), Portland (ME), Portsmouth (NH), Burlington (VT), Albany (NY), Easthampton (MA) and Cambridge (MA), ending in New York City proper. Stay on top of the site for more news updates for all your indie needs (we know you have them), Titus Andronicus and otherwise.

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