THE HARD QUARTET RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM AND ANNOUNCE JANUARY AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

Shane | 5 October 2024 | Reply

THE HARD QUARTET RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM AND ANNOUNCE JANUARY AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

(L-R) Jim White, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney & Emmett Kelly

Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Emmett Kelly and Jim White are The Hard Quartet. Individually covering musical ground as members of Pavement, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ty Segall, Dirty Three and more. Collectively producing rock ’n’ roll that is familiar but new, warm but icy, melodic but Sphinx-like in its seductive and subtle riddles…

“There are older vibes: getting older, it’s less about having to prove yourself.”—S.M.

“We come from such different places and we’ve have such different career histories, but I think that now we’re all in a similar place, which is kind of strange to acknowledge.”—E.K.

Their eponymous debut album, a double, brings together years of collective influence, inspiration and inhibition but more than anything it harnesses the intuitive nature of these musicians to get inside the song and bring out its best side. As a first effort it’s an instant classic. It’s out today.

“I’ve listened to all three of these people a lot over the years. Playing with them now just feels natural. Maybe ‘natural’ in this situation means it’s not a struggle.”—J.W

“This just seems like a really good band for us all to be in for the foresee able future. We’ll go until the wheels fall off. I can’t think of three better guys than these three guys. There’s something sweet and solid about the vibe.” – M.S.

And following three showcase performances across New York, Los Angeles and London, The Hard Quartet will make international touring debut with Australia as their first stop.

Don’t miss the debut tour of The Hard Quartet, live this January.

THE HARD QUARTET – AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2025

The Hard Quartet released their eponymous debut album on Matador Records / Remote Control Records and announced a run of Australian tour dates.

Says the band, “Emmett Kelly, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney and Jim White formed The Hard Quartet in May 2023. They recorded a 15 song album in NYC and Malibu California without telling anyone except their families and friends – ideal times spent in idyllic locales. The Hard Quartet starts touring in October and will play in Australia, USA, Europe and everywhere else possible through 2025 and beyond. It’s a full-on rocking band. All four band members write, sing, play musical instruments and produce The Hard Quartet’s songs. The band is the natural result of decades of friendship and playing music in each other’s presence.”

The band today also announce a run of Australian tour dates in early January 2025. The group will play six dates across the country including The Princess Theatre in Brisbane, Metro Theatre in Sydney, Fremantle Arts Centre in Fremantle, The Gov in Adelaide, Theatre Royal in Castlemaine, before tying a bow on their debut Australian tour at Northcote Theatre in Melbourne.

In July, The Hard Quartet released the band’s first single, ‘Earth Hater’, and an accompanying video directed by EYEDRESS. In August, the group formally announced their debut album and posted the Sweeney-led ‘Rio’s Song’. A third song, ‘Our Hometown Boy’, fronted by Kelly, followed. Last week, the band released A Tender Look at the Hard Quartet, a 12-minute documentary introducing the band.

The Hard Quartet

Emmett Kelly, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work in The Cairo Gang and The Double, as well as in the company of artists such as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Ty Segall, Rob Mazurek, and many more.

Stephen Malkmus, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work with Pavement, the Jicks, Silver Jews, Straw Dogs, and eponymously.

Matt Sweeney, a songwriter, guitarist, producer and vocalist best known for his work with Chavez, Superwolf, his music for Red Dead Redemption 2 and his guitar work in the company of a panoply of artists from Guided by Voices and Cat Power to Johnny Cash and Adele.

Jim White, a drummer and songwriter best known for his work with Dirty Three, Xylouris White, eponymous-ly, and with such stalwarts as Guy Picciotto, Cat Power, Bill Callahan and Venom P Stinger.