Violet Grohl has a new single out and a debut album locked in, and both are worth your full attention. “Cool Buzz” is out now, a jagged, snarling guitar track aimed squarely at the hypocrisy of punk guys who preach progressive politics while keeping women out of their musical spaces. “Shoot my favorite arrow/Through the mind that’s narrow,” she taunts over music built for windmill kicks and circle pits. The music video, directed by Niki Milan Houston, drops May 1. NYLON put it simply: “This is Violet Grohl stepping into her own.” Listen here.
“Cool Buzz” is the fourth single from ‘Be Sweet To Me,’ Grohl’s debut album due May 29 on Auroura Records/Republic Records, following “THUM,” “Applefish,” and “595.” NME praised “THUM” for its “muscular riffs and raw, unvarnished emotions,” and Consequence called “595” “a striking, tongue-in-cheek single with instantly memorable hooks.” The album was recorded at producer Justin Raisen’s Los Angeles home studio, assembled in the spirit of the Wrecking Crew session players of the ’60s and ’70s.
Grohl’s influences are baked into every track. Pixies, Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, The Muffs, Björk, Alice in Chains, L7, and Juliana Hatfield all factor in. “There’s something so powerful about that period of music, from the messaging to the visuals, it’s authentic and raw,” she says. The songs lean impressionistic, colored by her love of film and particularly the work of David Lynch.
Alongside the single, Grohl has announced her first-ever headline dates, an East Coast run this summer including Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore, plus a co-headline date at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York with The Breeders on June 24. Festival appearances at Pukkelpop, Leeds, Electric Picnic, Reading, Shaky Knees, and CBGB Festival round out the year. ‘Be Sweet To Me’ is available for pre-order now on black, blueberry jam, and ivory vinyl.
Tour Dates:
Jun 4 — Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Jun 5 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Lounge at World Stage Live
Jun 6 — Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
Jun 23 — Baltimore, MD @ Nevermore Music Hall *
Jun 24 — New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17 *
Aug 23 — Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival
Aug 28 — Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
Aug 29 — Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
Aug 30 — Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
Sep 20 — Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
Sep 26 — Brooklyn, NY @ CBGB Festival
- w/ The Breeders
‘Be Sweet To Me’ Track Listing:
THUM
595
Bug In The Cake
Last Day I Loved You
Big Memory
Mobile Stars
Often Others
Applefish
Cool Buzz
Pool Of My Dream
Plastic Couch