Toronto indie rockers Kiwi Jr have announced their third album, Chopper, which will be out August 12 via Sub Pop. For it, they enlisted Wolf Parade cofounder and current Arcade fire guitarist Dan Boeckner to produce, and it finds them taking a darker turn that may put those annoying Pavement comparisons to rest for good.
The first single off the album is "Night Vision," a slashing slice of post-punk that frontman Jeremy Gaudet says set the tone for Chopper. "A lot of the images in the lyrics are of teenagers driving around, trying to make plans, sharing the aux, putting their parents' car in the ditch, etc. But the idea at the center of the song is that of working up the nerve to make a big decision. Like a boxer getting pumped up before a fight.” You can watch the video, directed by Laura-Lynn Petrick, below.
You can catch Kiwi Jr. on tour this summer with fellow Torontonians and Sub Pop labelmates Weird Nightmare (aka Alex Edkins of METZ), including a Brooklyn show at Baby's All Right on July 28, which also has Gladie on the bill. They've also got European dates this fall. Check out their full tour schedule below.