Parquet Courts, the Brooklyn-based garage rock act whose most recent release, Content Nausea, dropped its own rhythm section (to form the band’s alter-ego, Parkay Quarts), has signed to London’s Rough Trade Records. Rough Trade, who get the entire band in the deal from New York’s What’s Your Rupture, will release their Monastic Living EP worldwide on November 13 to back Parquet Courts’ upcoming European-American tour.
With their signing, Parquet Courts join acts like Warpaint and Dean Blunt on the label, which is itself part of the British Beggars Group, responsible for distributing not only Rough Trade but also 4AD, Matador, and XL.
The real question: have they freed themselves from the “vulgar and empty broadcasting ritual” that they noted in Content Nausea’s eponymous single? In dialogue with this move and with the other bands on Rough Trade, it seems as though Parquet Courts are hedging their bets that a critical engagement with commercial artistry (like frontman Andrew Savage’s ongoing painting exhibition) looks like monastic living that—maybe—can stave off content nausea born of too much consumption.
Parquet Courts tour dates:
August
27 London, UK @ Birthdays
28 Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
29 Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
30 Paris, France @ Rock En Seine
September
02 Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh
03 Limerick, Ireland @ Dolan’s
04 Belfast, Ireland @ Limelight 2
08 Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Strand
09 Oslo, Norway @ Blaa
10 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Pumpehuset
12 Berlin, Germany @ Lollapalloza Berlin
14 Vienna, Austria @ Chelsea
15 Zagreb, Croatia @ Culture Factory
16 Ravenna, Italy @ Bronson
17 Rome, Italy @ Monk
19 Athens, Greece @ AN Club
November
05 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
06 07 – Austin, TX @ FFF
09 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
10 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
11 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
13 Denver, CO @ Marquis
December
03 Northampton, MA @ Flywheel w/ Pill
04 Boston, MA @ Middle East w/ Pill
05 Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace w/ Pill
06 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground w/ Pill
07 Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle w/ Pill
08 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa w/ Pill
09 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s w/ Pill
11 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw w/ Pill
