Boston group Kal Marks make sludge with melodic tints that is considerably heavy. Following up Life Is Murder, Kal Marks is set to release a new record called Life Is Alright, Everybody Dies on February 19 via Exploding In Sound and Midnight Werewolf Records. Life Is Alright, Everybody Dies is aggressive, but it's also optimistic (not aggressively optimistic, though); it conveys a cynical hopefulness that mankind could totally get its shit together if it actually tried. Which is why "Mankind," the band's new single off the upcoming record, is a shredder of a song that's essentially about peace and love.
"I would say that 'Mankind' is a angry song about being kind to the rest of humanity," Kal Marks singer and guitarist Carl Shane told The FADER in an email. "I don't know if this makes any sense but when I sing (yell) this song I imagine it from the perspective of a motherly figure, who is pleading to rest of the world to you know...not devour her young. I don't know how much time we have left on this Earth, because it seems like there's new shit hitting the fan everyday, and I just hope humanity could pull together somehow.”
Kal Marks wants everyone to fill their lives with empathy—or at least not spend it fucking each other over at every opportunity. It's nice to be important/ But it's more important to be nice/ and thats what I know, Shane growls on "Mankind," demanding an end to selfishness and ignorance. That is something I can get behind, heavily.
Stream "Mankind" below, check out tour dates below that, and pre-order Life Is Alright, Everybody Dies here.
Tour Dates
01/15 - Boston, MA @ The Record Company w/ Bilge Rat, Amphibious Man, Zach Rowden & Heavy Petals
01/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Waiting Room w/ Amanda X, Psychic Teens & Girl Dogs
01/28 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East w/ Nice Guys, Creaturos & Gravel
01/29 - Brooklyn, NY @ AVIV w/ Multicult, Dead Tenants & more
02/20 - Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits w/ Bruise Bath, Snowplows & Pet
02/24 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott w/ LVL UP & Florist
03/03 - Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium w/ Lady Bones
03/04 - New Brunswick, NJ @ In the West
03/05 - Washington, DC @ Above The Bayou w/ Two Inch Astronaut
03/06 - Richmond, VA
03/07 - Harrisonburg, VA
03/08 - Raleigh-Durham, NC w/ Two Inch Astronaut
03/09 - Asheville, NC @ Odditorium w/ Two Inch Astronaut
03/10 - Nashville, TN @ Freakin Weekend Fest w/ Two Inch Astronaut
03/11 - Atlanta, GA @ Wonderoot w/ Two Inch Astronaut, Death Stuff, DiCaprio
03/12 - Talahasse, FL @ Wolfs Den w/ Two Inch Astronaut, Yikes, Lingua Franca
03/13 - New Orleans, LA @ Sisters In Christ w/ Two Inch Astronaut, Woozy, Melters
03/14 - Lafayette, LA w/ Two Inch Astronaut,
03/15 - Houston, TX w/ Two Inch Astronaut
03/16-19 - Austin, TX (SXSW)
03/20 - Denton, TX @ Gatsbys Mansion w/ Left & Right
03/21 - Fayetteville, AR @ Backspace w/ Left & Right
03/22 - Little Rock, AR w/ Left & Right
03/23 - Murray, KY @ Terrapin Station w/ Left & Right, Quailbones
03/24 - Louisville, KY @ Kaiju bar w/ Left & Right
03/25 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Downstairs w/ Left & Right, Yeesh & Longface
03/26 - Cincinatti, OH @ Northside Yacht Club w/ Left & Right, Knife the Symphony, Smut
03/27 - Columbus, OH @ Tree Barw/ Left & Right
03/28 - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Left & Right
03/29 - Allentown, PA w/ Left & Right
03/30 - Philadelphia, PA @Johnny Brendas w/ Left & Right, Blue Smiley
03/31 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9 w/ Left & Right, Bilge Rat, & Stove
04/01 - Allston, MA @ O'Briens w/ Left & Right, Sneeze, Lady Bones