Absolutely Free has cultivated a decade-long reputation for an unorthodox approach to both conceiving and performing music. Running wild with flourishes of experimentation, yet rooted in accessible melody and rhythm, the band’s long-awaited new album continues to blur boundaries between avant-garde and pop. Aftertouch considers the dwindling physicality of our increasingly digitized existence, as the band explores narratives of hegemony, grief, and exploitation while ultimately sustaining hope for an unknown post-everything future. Making reference to the name of a synthesizer function, Aftertouch deconstructs seismic shifts in contemporary culture and lingers in the echoing sensations that remain.
Amongst a number of successful singles and special projects (including with collaborators such as U.S. Girls, Timber Timbre, Sandro Perri et al.), the band’s Polaris-nominated 2014 debut album Absolutely Free. via Arts & Crafts/Fat Possum Records garnered international acclaim from Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim!, Under The Radar, Pop Matters, AllMusic, many more. Absolutely Free have toured alongside Alvvays, Youth Lagoon, and Preoccupations and have shared bills with Beak>, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, U.S. Girls, and Fucked Up. The band has also been featured by several major North American festival line-ups such as SXSW, NXNE, Pop Montreal, and CMJ.
Photo Credit: Darren Rigo
