afropunk premiere: rock out to the raw and urgent “american eyes” from afropunk brooklyn band in the whale #soundcheck

It takes a special sort of alchemy to kill it as a two-piece, but In The Whale has it down. On their latest single, the heavy “American Eyes,” the duo of Nate Valdez and Eric Riley call up a sort of Jawbox-meets-Local H flavor for something raw and urgent. The song plays off of and tears down the rah-rah jingoism and nationalism that’s all the rage these days, sneering the chorus “American eyes / star-spangled and full of pride.” The track comes from In The Whale’s forthcoming Quicksand EP. In the meantime, catch them at AFROPUNK Brooklyn this weekend!

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

In The Whale Fall 2016 Tour Dates:

08/27 – Brooklyn, NY – Afropunk Festival

09/22 – Austin, TX – Barracudas (Red Bull Sound Select)

09/23 – Lansing, MI – The Loft*

09/24 – Bay City, MI – Hell’s Half A Mile Film Festival

09/26 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern*

09/27 – Peterborough, ON – Red Dog*

09/28 – Buffalo, NY – Studio @ The Waiting Room*

09/29 – Boston, MA – Upstairs @ The Middle East*

09/30 – New York, NY – Studio @ Webster Hall

10/01 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery*

10/02 – Washington, DC – The Black Cat*

10/04 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy*

10/05 – Caborro, NC – Cat’s Cradle*

10/07 – New Orleans, LA – Parish @ House Of Blues*

10/08 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn*

10/09 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar*

10/11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe*

10/12 – Columbus, OH – Basement*

10/13 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon*

10/14 – Chicago, IL – Double Door*

10/21 – Greeley, CO – Moxi Theater

10/22 – Fort Collins, CO – Hodi’s Half Note

10/28 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge

* w/ Electric Six