Baths today released “Eden”–the blissful second single previewing his forthcoming new album, Gut, due out on February 21st (Basement’s Basement)–and announced a headlining world tour of North America, the U.K., and Europe. “Eden” is characteristically free of inhibitions, and one of the album’s boldest and best examples of Wiesenfeld’s newfound “stomach music.” “A lot of Gut goes into more negative territory on sex, and the psyche, but to keep it honest I also needed a song that reflected the rapturousness of that experience,” explains Wiesenfeld. “Sometimes, amidst all my misgivings and self-flagellation, sex can be perfect. ‘Eden’ revels in the joy of my own insatiable sexual appetite and constant search for gratification. It is a reversal, finding god in the body, here on earth. In it, I demand that heaven come down to me, meet me on my terms, and ‘drink’ of me—not unlike a catholic congregation is instructed to drink the blood of Christ in the eucharist. ‘Slip into my ellipsis’ is a demand for the powers that be to share in my erotic fervor, in the feeling that is the closest I get in my adult life to a religious experience. Subsequently, the way that feeling affects me in a broader sense is when the rest of Gut comes into focus.”
Baths’ spring tour includes performances at this year’s SXSW Music Festival and headlining shows at Brooklyn, NY’s Baby's All Right (3/25), LA’s The Echo (4/20), London, UK’s Corsica Studios (5/09), and more. Tickets for all shows go on-sale Friday, January 17th. “Eden,” which premiered yesterday via KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, follows the exuberant lead single “Sea of Men,” that premiered via a PAPER Magazine feature and earned praise and support from Pitchfork, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim!, and more. Gut is available for pre-order HERE.
Gut is the most direct Baths LP to date. Longtime fans have often encountered themes of sex, romance, and all their offshoots in Wiesenfeld’s music—but they’ve never heard him quite like this. His lyrics are gloriously unvarnished, whereas the production is among his most carefully considered, and his vocal performances—whether he’s shouting, singing or whispering—match the brazen confidence of his writing. The most impressive record in Wiesenfeld’s career—which has also included soundtrack work for the beloved animated Netflix show Bee and PuppyCat as well as countless high profile collaborations and remixes (for Grizzly Bear, Flying Lotus, Imogen Heap, ODESZA, and many more)—Gut spans a breathtaking spectrum of lacerating hopelessness to lustful joy.
“Sea of Men” is one of six LP tracks which feature live drums (by Casey Dietz and Sam KS); it’s the greatest degree to which outside drummers have ever been involved in a Baths project to date. There’s a stronger emphasis on guitars, too (Wiesenfeld has played guitar for years in his other project, Geotic), and on eight songs, there are gorgeous strings arranged by Wiesenfeld, performed by longtime collaborators Isaura String Quartet, and engineered by Phil Hartunian at Tropico Beauty. The music is abrasive yet often ebullient, and some of its sound stems from his interest in noise-rock titans Gilla Band, brooding post-punk heroes Protomartyr, and dissonant experimental post-punk act A Frames—music that he describes as “really unforgiving in its presentation, where it hammers an idea into your brain so hard you can't forget it.”
Baths’ 2025 Headlining Tour Dates:
- 03/06 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
- 03/07 - Tuscon, AZ - Club Congress
- 03/08 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar
- 03/10 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum Art Co
- 03/11 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
- 03/12 - Austin, TX - SXSW Music Festival
- 03/17 - Nashville, TN - Row One Stage
- 03/18 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5
- 03/21 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
- 03/22 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
- 03/23 - Philadelphia, PA - Milkboy
- 03/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
- 03/26 - Somerville, MA - Rockwell
- 03/27 - Kingston, NY - Tubby's
- 03/28 - Montreal, QC - Toscadura
- 03/29 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall
- 03/31 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village
- 04/01 - Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club
- 04/02 - Minneapolis, MN - Icehouse
- 04/04 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
- 04/05 - Denver, CO - Mariquis
- 04/06 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
- 04/08 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
- 04/11 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Theatre
- 04/12 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
- 04/13 - Portland, OR - Holocene
- 04/16 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
- 04/20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
- 05/06 - Glasgow, UK - The Poetry Club
- 05/07 - Leeds, UK - Headrow House
- 05/08 - Bristol, UK - Strange Brew
- 05/09 - London, UK - Corsica Studios
- 05/11 - Prague, CZ - Palac Akropolis
- 05/13 - Paris, FR - Badaboum
- 05/14 - Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset
- 05/15 - Stockholm, SE - Hus 7
- 05/16 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
- 05/17 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain