Wrekmeister Harmonies return with their most sonically varied album to date, Light Falls, due out on September 16, 2016 from Thrill Jockey. On Light Falls, the core of Wrekmeister, JR Robinson (vocals, guitar) and Esther Shaw (keyboards, piano, violin, vocals), are joined by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Thierry Amar on bass and contrabass; Sophie Trudeau on piano, violin and vocals; and Timothy Herzog on drums. Chicago musicians Ryley Walker and Cooper Crain (Cave, Bitchin Bajas) make guest appearances on the album as well.
The title of the album originates from the text of If This Is A Man, Primo Levi’s meditation on the year the author spent as an inmate at Auschwitz. The Italian Jewish chemist and anti-fascist resistance fighter suggested in this seminal work that inhumanity comes about when things change slowly and people begin accepting things that they would normally find reprehensible. Robinson adds:
“I wanted to sonically convey the idea of slow, creeping change. When I came up with the title I was thinking of how when daylight turns to night time it’s a very gradual process. You are lulled into watching this slow, peaceful sunset but then all of a sudden you look up and it’s dark.”
Following the release of their album Night of Your Ascension last November, Wrekmeister Harmonies have toured relentlessly with the likes of Bell Witch, and members of Dead to a Dying World throughout North America and Europe. Wrekmeister will be touring North America and Europe in the new 5-piece format this fall/winter.
Wrekmeister Harmonies are on tour in North America this summer with Marissa Nadler, performing as a duo.  Tour dates and Light Falls track listing can be found below; look for more information on Wrekmeister Harmonies to be announced soon.
Wrekmeister Harmonies Duo Tour Dates*
Jul 5 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Jul 6 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Jul 8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
Jul 9 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake Lounge
Jul 10 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Jul 11 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
Jul 12 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Jul 13 – Detroit, MI – El Club
Jul 14 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Hotel
Jul 15 – Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
Jul 16 – Hudson, NY – Half Moon
Jul 19 – Boston, MA – Great Scott
Jul 20 – Providence, RI – Aurora
Jul 21 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Jul 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Jul 24 – Washington, D.C. – DC9
Jul 25 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle Backstage
Jul 26 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Jul 27 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Jul 29 – Austin, TX – Sidewinder
Jul 30 – Dallas, TX – Dada
Aug 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
Aug 2 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
Aug 3 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Aug 4 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Aug 5 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Library
Aug 7 – Vancouver, CA – Cobalt
Aug 8 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
* w/ Marissa Nadler, Muscle & Marrow