(Photo Credit: Rebecca Lukens)

Today we are happy to bring you a brand new track from Meat Market – an Oakland quartet that has been making great garage-pop since early 2011, when members met while at school in Santa Cruz. Members Jeff, Alex, Jake and Ian are all heavily involved in the Bay Area music and art scene, making music and visual art in various forms. Meat Market seem to be constantly working on and releasing new music- sometimes in the form of a formal album, like 2012’s Self-Titled LP that came out on Under The Gun Records, or the various cassette singles and digital only tracks they’ve put out since then. Over the past four years they’ve made quite a name for themselves in the California garage scene – touring with friends in FIDLAR and together PANGEA.

“Hole” is their new single off of a batch of seven songs they recorded at home on their four-track. It’s three and half minutes of catchy arpeggios and driving rhythms, and a bit more mellow than their past material. Drummer Alex Shen described these new songs as being more introspective than their older material, still poppy, but darker. The way they sing “Into this hole I will go” over a couple of noble, uplifting chords has a somber vibe to it. Overall the song feels very comfortable and mature, like a band that’s really figured out the type of music they want to write. While tracks like “Don’t Surf” off their LP feel more at home with LA’s Burger Records scene, their last couple of self-released tapes have seemed to be moving from overt surf rock and garage, and into more nuanced pop songs.

The band has also announced a tour that takes them to SXSW and back, featuring dates with Guantanomo Baywatch, The Memories, and Chastity Belt, which you can check out below. Download “Hole” below and catch the band next Wednesday at The Knockout. Rumor has it there’s plans for recording another LP later this year as well.

Guantanamo Baywatch, Meat Market, Chastity Belt, ChuckleBerries
The Knockout
March 11, 2015
8pm

Meat Market Tour Dates:
03/11 – San Francisco, CA – The Knockout #*
03/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Smell #*
03/13 – Tempe, AZ – Timeout Lounge (Rampage Fest) #^
03/14 – El Paso, TX – Monarch #*^
03/18 – Austin, TX – Beerland (SXSW)
03/18 – Austin, TX – She Shreds Showcase @ Cheer Up Charlies (SXSW)
03/18 – Austin, TX – Strange Victory touring Showcase @ House of Vans at Mohawk (SXSW) #
03/19 – Austin, TX – Strange Victory BBQ (SXSW) #^
03/20 – Austin, TX – Midgetmen Showcase @ Side Bar (SXSW)
03/20 – Austin, TX – 20 Club (SXSW)
03/20 – Austin, TX – Do512 Lounge Session (SXSW)
03/22 – San Antonio, TX – The Korova (Burger Records Hangover) #^
03/24 – Tucson, AZ – ThinkTank #*^

#- Guantanamo Baywatch
* – Chastity Belt
^ – The Memories