On their new album Shapeshifter II: Outbreak, New York-bred band TAUK offer an unsettling but ultimately exhilarating look at artificial intelligence and its potential to upend our world. With its dynamic sense of tension and cinematic mastery of mood, TAUK’s all-instrumental blend of progressive rock, hip-hop, and jazz proves to be the perfect backdrop for such explorations, giving way to an album that’s both powerfully hypnotic and intensely thought-provoking. TAUK will release Shapeshifter II: Outbreak on Sept 28 and today offers up the bright melodies and soulful guitar sprawl of first single, “Convoy,” which premiered earlier this week at SiriusXM. The single is available in all formats below and as an instant-grat track when you pre-order the album.
Equally inspired by classic sci-fi like Blade Runner and more recent films like Ex Machina, Shapeshifter II: Outbreakembeds that narrative into TAUK’s most sonically adventurous, emotionally expansive work to date. A continuation of their early-2018 EP, Shapeshifter I: Construct, the new album picks up its predecessor’s narrative thread with “Prelude”: a fantastically unsettling intro track whose frenetic keyboard work and chilling vocal samples set the tone for what’s to come. “The idea is that in the EP you’re seeing the construction of this being, and in the album you’re seeing it break out and become something that you can’t ignore anymore,” explains keyboardist Alric “A.C.” Carter.
Free-flowing yet elaborately composed, Shapeshifter II: Outbreak came to life in collaboration with TAUK’s longtime cohort Robert Carranza—a Grammy Award-winning producer/mixer/engineer also known for his work The Mars Volta, Ozomatli, Marilyn Manson, and Taj Mahal. In a departure from their previous releases (including 2016’s Sir Nebula), the band shunned the typical studio environment and holed up for weeks in a long-abandoned, century-old home that drummer Isaac Teel describes as “the Jumanji house meets Addams Family meets Amityville Horror.” Located in their homeland of Long Island, the house turned out to be the ideal spot for their makeshift studio, allowing for a creativity-enhancing seclusion. “Overall the whole process was incredibly organic—there were no constrictions as far as time or space, nothing ever felt forced,” says bassist Charlie Dolan. “There was a greater feeling of possibility, and it ended up being a really liberating experience for all of us.” Guitarist Matt Jalbert adds: “The location definitely added to the vibe of everything we were going for. It was like we set up a laboratory in the middle of nowhere and shut off the rest of the world, which really helped get us into a specific headspace.”
True to its thematic terrain, Shapeshifter II: Outbreak endlessly blurs the boundaries between organic and electronic with TAUK broadening their sonic palette to include a vast spectrum of synth sounds and programmed effects (such as those exquisitely eerie vocal samples heard in “Prelude”). In sculpting the album’s intricate arrangements, TAUK called on such esteemed musicians as The Naughty Horns, Ghost-Note’s Nate Werth (a percussionist who’s also played with David Crosby, Q-Tip, and Snarky Puppy), and Juan Alderete (longtime bassist for Racer X and The Mars Volta).
Tauk’s tour dates run through the end of the year, including Red Rocks on Sept 8 w/ STS9 and Cut Chemist and a fall tour to be announced soon. A full list of dates can be found below.
TAUK Tour Dates
Jul 14 – Scranton, Pa – Camp Bisco
Jul 28 – Taos, NM – Motet on the Mesa
Aug 9-Aug 10 – Elkins, WV – Shadefest
Aug 16-Aug 18 – Pittsboro, NC – The Big What?
Aug 31-Sep 2 – Alexander, AR – Natural Land Festival
Sep 01 – Chicago, IL – North Coast Music Festival
Sep 07 – Austin, TX – Waterloo Festival
Sep 08 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre (supporing STS9)
Sep 14-Sep 16 – Greenfield, MA – Wormtown Music Festival
Sep 20-Sep 22 – Thornville, OH – Resonance Music & Arts Festival
Jan 15-Jan 21 – Jam Cruise 17 – Port of Miami, FL
