Eric Slick just dropped an arena-rock anthem for self-acceptance, accompanied by a VR video that features futuristic hunks and dancing aliens with “Anxious To Please.” After ~15 years drumming for Dr. Dog, recording and performing with Taylor Swift, The War on Drugs and Waxahatchee, scoring Hilary Swank’s latest film and releasing solo LPs, “Anxious To Please” is simultaneously the most absurd and authentic Eric Slick creation yet.

As the latest preview from his forthcoming album New Age Rage (Slick Records/Thirty Tigers, out April 26, 2024, “Anxious To Please” shows another side of the dystopian world he simultaneously cultivates and chastises across the dance-rock opus. While New Age Rage thrashes and grooves through the existential dread of living in a tech-driven future, the album also emboldens joy and humor as a means of dealing with internal pressures. On “Anxious To Please,” Slick pits his people-pleasing personality against a steadfast desire to be understood, riding the darker tones of ‘80s synths as he packs the track with sincerity and hilarity.

“Anxious To Please” follows “Lose Our Minds,” a party for the apocalypse that Slick co-wrote with his wife Natalie Prass. Like most of New Age Rage, it’s also a collaboration with producer Andy Molholt (Speedy Ortiz) and co-writer Kyle Ryan (Kacey Musgraves), filled with an array of sonic gems, tricks and treats. Across the rest of the record, he confronts the dangers of AI, self-driving cars, mass media and the climate crisis through rapturous rock music, robot-funk, sleazy disco, and experimental synth-pop, inspired by idols like Haruomi Hosono, Sparks, Talking Heads, Yellow Magic Orchestra and more. The record also features artwork by EYヨ, of Japanese band BOREDOMS, contributions from Diane Coffee, Finom (fka OHMME), Liam Kazar, mmeadows, VV Lightbody, Kimaya Diggs and many more.