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Jun 27, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Aaron Jones

American punk collective The Armed have announced a new album, Perfect Saviors, and shared an Iggy Pop featured music video for its first single, “Sport of Form,” which features Julien Baker. This followup to their 2021 LP ULTRAPOP, is due out August 25 via Sargent House. The music video, which features Julien Baker on vocals (but she’s not in the video), also showcases Iggy Pop taking on the role of “God” (but he’s not on the song). The band, who will be joining Queens of the Stone Age on their tour in August, have announced headline shows of their own. Watch the video below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the upcoming tour dates.

Perfect Saviors was produced by vocalist Tony Wolski, Ben Chisholm, and Troy Van Leeuwen with contributions from Baker, Sarah Tudzin, Mark Guiliana, Patrick Shiroishi, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and more. Within the album, the band delves into what it means to be “pop” in a world of limitless information and access. They challenge what is unknown in a world that prides itself on known ideals.

Of the LP, Wolski says in a press release: “Too much information has made us dumb and confused. Too many ways to connect have inadvertently led to isolation. And too much expectation has forced everyone to become a celebrity. Predictable primal dangers have given way to newer social ones. And the result is a world that is confounding and terrifying—but ultimately still beautiful. We hope this record is exactly all of that, too.

Of “Sport of Form,” Wolski adds: “There are two types of sport—those of measure and those of form. A sport of measure like basketball, football, or soccer has a point system and a sort of binary path to victory. A sport of form is something like diving, figure skating, or bodybuilding—something with evolving standards and a layer of subjectivity and some sort of critical component.

“The world that surrounds us is complex, and our lives are truly more akin to a sport of form than one of measure. Yet, so many people see it as exactly the opposite.

“Lyrically, this song is about the human need to win a game that we’re not even actually playing. Sonically, it is a reflection of that cognitive dissonance through a constant whiplash between beauty and ugliness, severity and tenderness, obscenity and grace.”

Read our 2017 cover story interview with Julien Baker.

Perfect Saviors Tracklist:

1. Sport of Measure
2. FKA World
3. Clone
4. Modern Vanity
5. Everything’s Glitter
6. Burned Mind
7. Sport of Form
8. Vatican Under Construction
9. Liar 2
10. In Heaven
11. Public Grieving

The Armed Tour Dates:

Supporting Queens of the Stone Age:

8/3/23 Sterling Heights, MI
8/4/23 Toronto, ON
8/ 5/23 Pittsburgh, PA
8/7/23 Bridgeport, CT
8/8/23 Philadelphia, PA
8/9/23 Washington, DC
8/11/23 Portland, ME
8/12/23 Queens, NY
8/14/23 Washington, DC
8/15/23 Raleigh, NC
8/16/23 Asheville, NC
8/18/23 Atlanta, GA
8/19/23 Nashville, TN

Headline Dates:

10/19/23 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey ^
10/21/23 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall ^
10/23/23 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
10/24/23 Seattle, WA @ Neumos ^
11/16/23 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club*
11/18/23 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage*
12/15/23 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall✝
12/16/23 Chicago, IL @ Metro✝

^ Shutups
*SPACED
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