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Jun 13, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Alexandra Cabral

Los Angeles indie rock band, Allah-Las, have announced the release of their fifth studio album Zuma 85 and shared two new songs from it called “The Stuff” and title track “Zuma 85.” Zuma 85, which was co-produced by Jeremy Harris, is due out October 13 via the band’s own label, Calico Discos in partnership with Innovative Leisure. The band have also announced some summer and fall tour dates. Listen to the songs below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the upcoming tour dates.

Allah-Las, mostly known for their surf rock washes with folk rock touches, find themselves leaving familiar territory with the making of Zuma 85. Heavily influenced by late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, Peter Ivers, and early Brian Eno, the band reconvened post-pandemic with sketches, ideas, and riffs. The songs were crafted in three sessions, and were then mixed by Jarvis Taveniere of Woods. The band features Matthew Correia (drums/vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass, guitar, vocals), Miles Michaud (guitar, organ, vocals), and Pedrum Siadatian (guitar, synth, vocals).

“We got in real late that first night of the first session,” Michaud says in a press release. “It was around midnight. We had a quick intro and Jeremy had a bottle of wine. We had a little and he said, ‘You wanna start recording?’

“The Stuff” strays from the band’s previous attachment to psych rock, now mixed with glammy and electronic struts. Of the song, the band says, “‘The Stuff’ is a tongue-in-cheek ode to rock tropes and nostalgic sentiments in the music world, including stereotypes of musicians and various trends in music.”

The instrumental “Zuma 85” features field recordings with chimes with lazy synths. It shares a name with the photo of an abandoned house by California photographer John Divola. According to the band, it juxtaposes a visage of man-made chaos against the natural beauty of the West Coast. It served as an unspoken reference point for the album, a symbolic totem indicative of a new era.

“Everything just worked,” Michaud says. “That studio just pulls it out of you.”

Allah-Las’ song, “Prazer Em Te Conhecer” previously made our Songs of the Week list.

Zuma 85 Tracklist:

1. The Stuff
2. Jelly
3. Right On Time
4. GB BB
5. Hadal Zone
6. Fontaine
7. Pattern
8. Sky Club
9. La Rue
10. Dust
11. Smog Cutter
12. Zuma 85
13. The Fall

Allah-Las Tour Dates:

6/15 - 17 - PiP Fest - Oslo, NO
6/16 - Bergenfest (Bergenhus Fortress & Castle) - Bergen, NO
6/17 - Pumpehuset - Copenhagen, DK
6/20 - Slaktkrykan - Stockholm, SE
6/22 - Selección Sonora @ Centro Cultural Ágora - A Coruna, Galicia, ES
6/23 - Dabadaba - Donosti, ES
6/24 - Tomavistas - Madrid, ES
6/25 - Wheels & Waves - Biarritz, FR
6/28 - Zeltival @ Tollhaus - Karlsruhe, DE
8/3 - Levitate - Boston, MA
8/4 - The Rockaway Hotel - Queens, NY
8/30 - Mascotte - Zurich, CH
9/1 - Room 2 - Glasgow, UK
9/2 - Psych Fest - Manchester, UK
9/3 - End Of The Road Festival - Salisbury, UK
9/4 - Marble Factory - Bristol, UK
9/6 - KOKO - London, UK
9/7 - Chalk - Brighton, UK
9/9 - Le Trianon - Paris, FR
9/10 - Cactus - Bruges, BE
9/11 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL
9/13 - Huxleys - Berlin, DE
9/14 - Muffathalle - Munich, DE
9/16 - Technopolis - Athens, GR
10/23 - Crescent Room - Phoenix, AZ
10/24 - Launch Pad - Albuquerque, AZ
10/26 - Ferris Wheelers Backyard - Dallas, TX
10/29 - Belly Up - Aspen, CO
10/31 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
11/1 - Treefort Music Hall, Boise, ID
11/2 - Rev Hall - Portland, OR
11/3 - Freakout - Seattle, WA
11/4 - Volcanic Theatre Pub - Bend, OR
11/6 - Goldfield Trading Post - Sacramento, CA
11/7 - Phoenix Theater - Petaluma, CA
11/8 - SLO Brew - San Luis Obispo, CA
11/15 - Lodge Room - Los Angeles, CA
11/16 - Lodge Room - Los Angeles, CA
11/18 - August Hall - San Francisco, CA

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