Following the release of a critically acclaimed debut album, Sprints have shared two new singles and announced a huge run of tour dates. Find ticket details below.
The pair of tracks arrived under the banner of the ‘Black Box Sessions’, and are particularly angsty singles titled ‘Drones’ and ‘Help Me, I’m Spiralling’.
Both were recorded during the sessions for Spirits’ breakthrough debut album, ‘Letter To Self’, which arrived at the start of the year to critical acclaim, and has already been tipped by many as ready to become a contender for album of the year in 2024.
‘Drones’ is a reimagining of a past track and comes in at just shy of three-minutes long – bursting to life with high-energy riffs, distorted guitars and a brash vocal melody. “The graveyards fill, the dancefloors fill/ The bar stools fill, but everyone’s empty,” sings frontwoman Karla Chubb. “The desk chairs fill, the sickbeds fill/ The car parks fill, but I’m still empty.”
For the most part, the Irish indie-punk four-piece follow a similar structure with ‘Help Me, I’m Spiralling’ – capturing an aggressive burst of energy from the opening line: “It’s another dim day, wasting away in this slow vicarious life/ I’m feeling photosensitive on this faux fence I sit on just watching it all pass by.”
The latter also comes alongside an orange-tinged trippy lyric video. Check both tracks out below.
“We’re happy to share the remnants of the chaos and catharsis that was the ‘Letter To Self’ recording process,” the band said of the new releases.
“A reimagination of an old favourite, and a new track too, the ‘Black Box Sessions’ include ‘Drones’ and ‘Help Me, I’m Spiralling’, two tracks that explore themes of uncertainty, anxiety and doubt. Embrace the madness and the noise.”
As well as sharing the two new tracks, Sprints have also revealed details of a huge run of tour dates, including shows in the US, Europe and the UK.
The dates follow on from the Irish quartet’s upcoming festival appearances – such as slots at Glastonbury, TRNSMT and Boardmasters – as well as their upcoming support shows for bands including Idles, Pixies and Gossip.
Headline dates kick off with the US leg, which starts on September 25 with a gig at The Sinclair venue in Boston, and continue throughout October with 18 performances lined up across the country. These include appearances in Nashville, Saltlake City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Brooklyn and more.
The US run of tour dates kick off the month afterwards, with a show in Bristol lined up for November 12, followed by a stop at the Kentish Town Forum in London the following night. From there, Sprints will make stops across Europe, up until mid-December. Shows in Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin and Brussels are all locked in, and the dates wrap up with a slot at the Trabendo venue in Paris on December 16.
Find a full list of headline dates below, and visit here to buy tickets.
Sprints 2024 headline tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
25 –Boston MA, US – The Sinclair
27 – Philadelphia PA, US – The Foundry
28 – Brooklyn NY, US – Music Hall of Williamsburg
30 – Washington DC, US – The Atlantis
OCTOBER
2 – Carrboro NC, US – Cat’s Cradle Back Room
4 – Atlanta GA, US – Altar
5 – Nashville TN, US – The End
7 – Austin TX, US – Parish
10 – Denver CO, US – Globe Hall
13 – Salt Lake City UT, US – Urban Lounge
14 – Boise ID, US – Shrine Social Club
16 – Portland OR, US – Aladdin Theatre
17 – Seattle WA, US – Neumo’s
20 – Sacramento CA, US – Starlet Room
21 – San Francisco CA, US – The Chapel
24 – Los Angeles CA, US – Roxy Theatre
25 – San Diego CA, US – HOB Voodoo Room
26 – Santa Ana CA, US – Parish Room
NOVEMBER
12 – Bristol, UK – Marble Factory
13 – London, UK – Kentish Town Forum
23 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
24 – Cologne, DE – Luxor
29 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall
DECEMBER
7 – Nijmegen, NL – Zeitgeist
9 – Berlin, DE – Lido
12 – Brussels, BE – Orangerie
13 – Lille, FR – L’Aéronef
14 – Luxembourg, LX – Rotondes
16 – Paris, FR – Trabendo
Speaking about their recent run of live shows, frontwoman Karla Chubb spoke openly to NME about her recent ordeal of being sexually assaulted at one of the band’s gigs, and the organisation Girls Against shared advice for other victims and bystanders to stamp out groping at shows.
Last week, the singer explained that she’d had the “abhorrent” experience of being sexually assaulted for a second time at a gig: “Female performers should be able to engage with their audience, step off the stage or perform without fear of groping, unwanted touching, cat-calling and harassment.
“The fact that this is still an everyday occurrence for most women is beyond reprehensible.”
Speaking to NME, Chubb elaborated on the impact that the assault had on her, and made a push for more respectful behaviour towards artists on stage.
“It was just shock initially. I was talking to the guys in the green room and it hit me that it wasn’t normal. The next day, I woke up and I was pretty angry. The more I started to think about it, the more I started to realise I needed to say something because it’s just not OK that it happens to women at all – let alone at the endemic level that it does across the music industry,” she explained.
“Then I started to notice bruising. Things like that make you feel vindicated at how serious it was.”
Recalling her advice to anyone who might witness sexual assault at a show, she added: “I would make sure that you tell someone”.
“What’s been very comforting and vindicating was people coming to me to say, ‘I saw this happen to you’. It’s really important to be vocal about that, because there’s a lot of fear when coming forward that people are going to speculate, deny, twist their own narrative, or minimise what happened,” she said. “It’s important to make your voice heard and show solidarity.”