Last month, I heard something I didn’t know I was waiting for: “Lower Worlds,” the new single from turn-of-the-millennium emo rock trio Rainer Maria. They hadn’t released an album since 2006’s Catastrophe Keeps Us Together, but the essential facts remained unchanged: They were originally from Madison, Wisconsin, and they took their name from Rainer Maria Rilke, the poet. At their best, Rainer Maria the band fused pained, piercing emotional insight with a sonic attack that brushed up softly against the edge of hardcore. They were sincere and you could turn it up loud.
On their second new single, “Suicides and Lazy Eyes,” Rainer Maria trade in the gear-grind distortion of “Lower Worlds” to shred something more lush and sensual. “Let the rest of the world be coarse / You stay sweet for me / Let me call you mine all the time,” sings Caithlin De Marrais, picturing a romance conducted in glances across a café table. References to Schiaparelli gloves and Modigliani portraits bolster the studious, slightly surreal atmosphere of flâneuse fantasy.
Rainer Maria’s new album S/T (literally S/T, not Rainer Maria) is out August 18. Listen to “Suicides and Lazy Eyes” and see Rainer Maria’s upcoming tour dates below. N.B.: The band slightly edited this version of “Suicides and Lazy Eyes” to sound its best outside of the album sequence.
Rainer Maria 2017 tour dates
September 13 — Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
September 14 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
September 15 — Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo
September 16 — Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
September 17 — Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
September 19 — Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
September 20 — Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
September 21 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
September 22 — Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
September 23 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
September 24 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
September 27 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
September 28 — Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
September 29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
September 30 — Hamden, CT @ The Space*
October 5 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos
October 6 — Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
October 7 — Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
October 11 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
October 13 — San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
October 14 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
October 25-26 — Ybor City, FL @ PRE FEST 5
October 27-29 — Gainesville, FL @ FEST 16
*w/ Mates of State and Selector Dub Narcotic
