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Jul 18, 2017 By Christopher Roberts Chad VanGaalen

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Chad VanGaalen is releasing a new album, Light Information, on September 8 via Sub Pop. He previously shared its first single, “Old Heads.” Now he shared another song from the album, “Pine and Clover,” via an animated video he created. Watch it below, followed by his upcoming tour dates.

A press release says the video is about a shapeshifter who “is born with the inability to form memories. It transforms into whatever creature or object it senses to be closest to it in the moment, but cannot remember what it was previously. It seems to have no sense of self, whatsoever. Or as VanGaalen humorously theorizes it: ‘This is what humans will end up being, or possibly have been.’”

The video is a combination of “hand drawn animation (cell animation), claymation, and paperless 2D animation.” VanGaalen had this to say about the video in a press release: “The style and economy of the animation is governed by my ability to sit in a chair and draw for as long as I possibly can without being distracted by my beautiful vegetable garden. Because of the garden and its beauty, I have been inspired to make most of the environments similar to what I see in the garden, so needless to say there is a lot of lettuce.”

VanGaalen wrote, produced, and played almost all of the music on Light Information, and even designed its cover art. The two exceptions are a bass part from Ryan Bourne on “Mystery Elementals” and vocals on “Static Shape” from his young daughters Ezzy and Pip.

In fact, VanGaalen said in a previous press release that fatherhood is an influence on the album: “Being a parent has given me a sort of alternate perspective, worrying about exposure to a new type of consciousness that’s happening through the Internet. I didn’t have that growing up, and I’m maybe trying to preserve a little bit of that selfishly for my kids.”

Chad VanGaalen Tour Dates:

Europe:

Oct. 15 - Utrecht, NL - EKKO
Oct. 16 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown
Oct. 17 - London, UK - Oslo
Oct. 18 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
Oct. 20 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow (Sky Bar)
Oct. 21 - Copenhagen, DK - Stengade
Oct. 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain
Oct. 24 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn
Oct. 25 - Lyon, FR - Le Sonic
Oct. 26 - Amiens, FR - La Lune des Pirates
Oct. 27 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere
Oct. 28 - Nantes, FR - SOY Festival
Oct. 29 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix
Oct. 30 - Luxemburg, LU - Rotondes
Oct. 31 - Gent, BE - BIB

North America:

Nov. 09 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
Nov. 12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir *
Nov. 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
Nov. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Satellite Club *
Nov. 16 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *
Nov. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
Nov. 19 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive *
Nov. 20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Nov. 30 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
Dec. 01 - Detroit, MI - El Club **
Dec. 02 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle **
Dec. 03 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi Fi **
Dec. 05 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe **
Dec. 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC **
Dec. 07 - Allston, MA - Great Scott **
Dec. 08 - Montreal QC - Fairmont**

*w/ NE-HI
**w/ Un Blonde

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