TTNG’s third album, Disappointment Island, is out today. You can find it in LP & CD (US $ - ships worldwide, UK £ - ships to UK/EU) or digital formats (iTunes, Spotify).
TTNG will be touring the US in just a few weeks, kicking off in San Francisco on July 21st. After playing their last show on the US run, the band flies back to the UK for ArcTanGent Festival and a show with toe, Steve Strong, and Yonen in Dublin. All tour dates can be found below - tickets are available HERE.
TTNG Disappointment Island Tour 2016
Jul-21 San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
Jul-22 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Jul-23 San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
Jul-24 Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live
Jul-26 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
Jul-27 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Jul-28 El Paso, TX @ 5points Patio #
Jul-29 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada #
Jul-30 Austin, TX @ Sidewinder #
Jul-31 Houston, TX @ The Raven Tower #
Aug-02 Nashville, TN @ High Watt *
Aug-03 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Purgatory) *
Aug-04 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
Aug-05 Washington, DC @ DC9 *
Aug-06 New York, NY @ Studio at Webster Hall *!
Aug-07 Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry *
Aug-09 Boston, MA @ Great Scott * !
Aug-10 Hamden, CT @ The Space !
Aug-11 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose #
Aug-12 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme #
Aug-13 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean #
Aug-18 Bristol, UK @ ArcTanGent Festival
Aug-20 Dublin, IE @ Button Factory w/toe, Steve Strong, Yonen
# MYLETS supporting
* LITE supporting
! GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES! supporting
See what people are saying about the album below -
“TTNG take their care and sorrow into intelligent orchestrations that embrace complex patterns and don’t take them too far. They let them ride out into this realm of calm and deliberate palettes, making Disappointment Island more fun to be around.” - New Noise Magazine, 4/5
“TTNG has always been one of the few math-rock bands to have an innate sense of melody—something that’s improved after playing with the likes of American Football and rubbed off on tourmates like Tera Melos—and jams like “Coconut Crab” suggest that maybe there’s a benefit to knowing all that music theory.” - A.V. Club
“Shifting time signatures and interlocking rhythms that join guitar, bass, and drums are established from the opening moments of "Coconut Crab." With a melodic but conversational delivery, Tremain suggests "Just simply paraphrase all that you're feeling into tiny bite-sized bits/Squeeze them tight so they might fit." With more than one or two music terms in the lyrics, he could well be talking about the song's arrangements, where drums are brisk and syncopated, and oscillating guitar fills in gaps ("It's not that easy, you must admit"). Things get nerdier on "Bliss Quest" and "Destroy the Tabernacle!" with their focus on marking time and instrumental breaks. In contrast, on tracks like "Consoling Ghosts" and "Whatever, Whenever," hectic rhythms take a back seat to the singer's falsetto and the songs' overall melancholic tone.” - AllMusic
“TTNG (formerly This Town Needs Guns) waste no time in immersing you in their world on Disappointment Island. In fact, within seconds, the band’s third full-length’s title quickly seems almost ironic, considering how not disappointing it is. Stunning guitar work, smooth easy to listen to vocals and a spectacular rhythm section blend together easily on Disappointment Island, giving listeners an incredible listening experience without ever feeling like too much.” - The Prelude Press, 4.5/5
“The longest track, "Whatever, Whenever," showcases the best of TTNG: dextrous and experimental strings, sparing reverb and Henry Tremain's falsetto, matched to complex guitar picking that's at once impenetrable and calming. They keep to the formula, with pleasing results. "Consoling Ghosts" is a parade of vibrato guitar atop a rollicking beat that drummer Chris Collis lays into with galvanizing, pulling pace. His guitarist brother Tim is as much of a presence on Disappointment Island as Tremain's voice. Although the lyrics are often sad, the theme is still sardonic. "Bliss Quest," for instance, ends with what sounds like a busy signal, and most songs feel playful despite sorrowful lyrics.” - Exclaim.ca, 8/10
“It’s because of their particularity that TTNG (formerly known as This Town Needs Guns) has had no trouble cultivating a huge fanbase, because there’s not really any other band out there that sounds quite like they do. Occupying that liminal space between math rock and emo, their sound is full of off-time tapped guitar riffs, wavering vocals, and polyrhythmic drumming, all syncopated to form melancholic-yet-playful soundscapes that wax and wane in emotional intensity throughout. Carving their own niche to fill has given them a lot of room to play around with their sound while never having to reinvent themselves, and on Disappointment Island, that freedom of expression is fully realized to make an album that shines with a clear eye for detail and a love for the music.” - Heavy Blog is Heavy
“The album is the band’s most mature release to date, emphasizing the craft the group has sought to hone over the course of their existence. The release’s lyrics favor sophistication over sappiness, as Henry Tremain’s vocals tinge the driving, fluid pieces with a sense of overwhelming melancholy. Disappointment Island is a safe yet solid progression for the Oxford trio, as their consistency over the course of three albums cements their brand within the sphere of their musical setting.” - Treble Zine
“They are subtle masters of their craft, piecing together intricate bars of odd meter with such flow that it’s impossible to get lost. When I’m not paying too much attention, I just notice that the album sounds good. When I sit down and get cozy between the riffs and rhythms, however, Disappointment Island becomes a work of art, full of technicality I’d never otherwise have heard.” - Slug Magazine
“You won’t find a weak song here, everything is straight out of the top drawer. Such are the nuances you could be forgiven for having a new favourite on every listen. Whether it be the complexities of ‘Consoling Ghosts’, the immediate punch of ‘Whatever, Whenever’ or the beauty of ‘Bliss Quest’ you can’t help but fall in love with the album. At first you could be forgiven for thinking tracks like ‘In Praise Of Idleness’ were a little pedestrian, then on second proper listen it blossoms into the expansive math rock beast it is.
There’s a certain pop swagger lurking under the surface of ‘Coconut Crab’ while post hardcore emotion and energy simmers behind the wonderful ‘Destroy The Tabernacle!’. Lead track ‘Sponkulus Nodge’ is you go to point for a succinct pointer to how TTNG’s sound has developed. Special praise must be reserved for the disarming ‘There’s No ‘I’ In Team’ that may just have announced itself as the striking song of 2016. It is one of those rare moments that leave you speechless, question if a song can really be that good.” - Alt Dialogue, 9.5/10
“This record – like most great records – repays multiple listens and close attention. TTNG’s music has never been something to be thrown on in the background, never a moment made to be ignored. Their compositions are challenging, and that is precisely what has garnered them so much reverence, especially among musicians. While, at a glance, the album may seem to be lacking the intensity and vital urgency of an album like Animals, there is an ocean of feeling lurking beneath the surface. It is a more introspective journey, and demonstrates a more thoughtful approach to yearning and confusion. OnDisappointment Island, TTNG seem both brave and yet at home, and its story is a dynamically compelling testament to where this band has been – each step along the way contributing to their arrival at a new, never disappointing, destination.” - The Alternative, 9/10