A Place to Bury Strangers will drop its fourth studio album Transfixiation next week on Feb. 17, but fans can stream the entire record now over at NPR. The new collection of songs will be the band's first since 2012's Worship. A Place to Bury Strangers will celebrate the album's release with a gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn before heading out on an exhaustive tour.
Vocalist Oliver Ackermann chants over a frenzied array of effects and melodies on "We've Come So Far," the album's second single. The track serves as a fitting statement for the band, which has seen a few lineup changes over its 12-year history. As NPR noted, new drummer Robi Gonzalez shines on the track -- and throughout the album -- breathing new life into the band's repertoire.
"On the group's fourth album, Transfixiation, all of APTBS's trademarks are in evidence. Deadpan vocals float through apocalyptic static. The volume bleeds out. Cacophony reigns," Jason Heller wrote about the album. "But Transfixiation's jagged edges aren't quite as blurry as those of its predecessors, and there's a new-found tightness in the attack that's as refreshing as it is menacing."
A Place to Bury Strangers dropped their self-titled debut album in 2007, steadily adding more records to their catalog ever since. Their last effort, Worship, was met with mixed reviews.
"Hopefully, Worship will prove to be a transitory album, because its best songs feel like the work of another band entirely," Pitchfork wrote.
The band will head to Philadelphia Feb. 18 following the release gig in Brooklyn. They will head south before going across the country. Seattle's March 18 show will lead into a string of dates overseas before they return for their final scheduled gig of 2015 at the Austin Psych Fest in May. Check out the full schedule over at the band's website.
