Drug Church have announced their highly anticipated fourth full-length, Hygiene, due out March 11th from Pure Noise Records.
Hygiene follows Drug Church’s 2018 LP, Cheer, and their 2021 EP, Tawny. On Hygiene, the band is as uncompromising as ever, and it has resulted in their boldest set of songs to date. With each successive release Drug Church—vocalist Patrick Kindlon, guitarists Nick Cogan and Cory Galusha, bassist Pat Wynne, and drummer Chris Villeneuve have been pushing the seemingly intractable elements of their sound further and further. Where Cheer brought more melody into the band’s combustible music, Hygiene doubles down without losing an ounce of bite in the execution. “Sometimes I say we make radio music that can’t be played on the radio,” Kindlon laughs. “I think it’s likable but it’s also just not designed for mass appeal.”
The Albany and Los Angeles-based five-piece have also shared Hygiene‘s lead singles “Million Miles of Fun” and “Detective Lieutenant.” The two songs represent the essential tension between overt melody and visceral aggression that fuels Drug Church.
Listen to “Million Miles of Fun” and watch the music video for it below:
Listen to “Detective Lieutenant” below:
Recorded with producer/engineer Jon Markson and clocking in at a lean 26 minutes, the record makes it abundantly clear that Drug Church aren’t content to rest on their laurels. While Hygiene is an undeniable leap forward for Drug Church, it’s not one made by some grand design. In fact, band’s writing process is refreshingly mystique-free: the instrumentalists simply hone the songs until they’re ready to show them to Kindlon, who offers “intentionally unhelpful notes” before writing most of his lyrics under the gun in the studio. “The beauty that happens here is accidental,” he explains. “It’s not that musicians have some insight into the world, it’s just that by doing something in art you can trip over these transcendent moments—but you can’t endeavor to make them.”
Hygiene feels less like it’s kicking against the clock and more like it’s embracing the reality of it. “At some point you have to admit to yourself that all your plans and goals are subject to the randomness of life,” Kindlon says. “But on the flipside, if you don’t have goals, how do you know where you’re going?”
“There’s value in trying to be exceptional, at least in your own mind,” Kindlon says. “I’m exceptional at virtually nothing, but striving for it has given my life some purpose. Or at least it’s led me to this hotel room in Denver on tour.”
Hygiene artwork & tracklist:
1. Fun’s Over
2. Super Saturated
3. Plucked
4. Million Miles of Fun
5. Detective Lieutenant
6. Tiresome
7. World Impact
8. Premium Offer
9. Piss & Quiet
10. Athlete on Bench
Drug Church will be touring heavily in support of Hygiene, starting with a lengthy run of North American shows kicking off this week with Citizen, Glitterer, and Floating Room. See full itinerary below.
Upcoming Shows:
11/14 Minneapolis, MN @ Amsterdam *
11/16 Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck *
11/17 Denver, CO @ Oriental Theatre *
11/18 Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell *
11/20 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
11/21 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile *
11/22 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre *
11/24 Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone *
11/26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lodge Room *
11/27 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lodge Room *
11/28 Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
11/30 Austin, TX @ Empire Garage *
12/01 Dallas, TX @ DaDa *
12/03 Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom *
12/04 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge *
12/05 Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls 20 Lanes *
12/06 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups *
12/08 Atlanta, Georgia @ Masquerade – Hell *
12/09 Orlando, FL @ The Abbey *
12/10 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar *
12/11 Durham, NC @ Motorco *
12/12 Washington DC @ Union Stage *
12/13 Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry *
12/15 Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents *
12/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere *
12/17 Boston, MA @ The Paradise *
12/18 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
12/19 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
* w/ Citizen, Glitterer, Floating Room
Photo credit: Ryan Scott Graham