Brooklyn five-piece Gustaf have shared the second single from their forthcoming debut album Audio Drag For Ego Slobs (Oct. 1, Royal Mountain Records), “Best Behavior.” The seemingly effortless, stylishly oblique art-punk track, which follows standout July single “Book,” arrives ahead of the band’s tour of the U.S., U.K. and E.U. with IDLES, Pillow Queens, Osees and Kills Birds.
“‘Best Behavior’ was fun to record because it was one of the first songs we finished/crafted in the studio rather than onstage. It started out as a demo we had in the early days of the band but never ended up playing live. It sat forgotten until we began planning the record and came together pretty effortlessly in the studio,” Gustaf vocalist Lydia Gammill recalls in a statement. “Unlike the bulk of the album that we developed over the course of many live shows, it was exciting to be making decisions and constructing the final song as it was happening. It also helped us get our footing and identify how we wanted to steer and produce the remaining recordings.”
“The song’s ethos is a bit of the old and the new attitude for Gustaf. Our narrator, the ‘ego slob,’ is bargaining with itself, scrounging for self-compassion and self-assurance despite a pile of hurt feelings in its wake,” Gammill continues. “In demanding spoils despite having done nothing to earn them, we see the initial cracks in a brutish facade—our antihero slowly realizing maybe the shell they built for themselves was not built for the world.”
Check out “Best Behavior” below and find Gustaf’s tour dates further down. You can preorder their album right here and revisit their previous single “Book” here.
Gustaf Tour Dates:
October
01 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
02 – Knoxville, TN @ Mill and Mine
03 – Cincinatti, OH @ MOTR Pub
04 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
06 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
07 – Saint Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre #
08 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre #
09 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall #
10 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall #
12 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues #
13 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore #
15 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 #
16 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 #
17 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
18 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
20 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel #
21 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom #
22 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – Heaven Stage #
25 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s #
26 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater #
27 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger #
November
02 – Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge $
03 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol $
04 – London, UK @ The Dome $
06 – Brighton, UK @ Mutations Festival @ The Green Door Store
08 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club $
09 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room) $
10 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Loft $
11 – London, UK @ The Windmill, Brixton
13 – Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who Festival
14 – Kortrijk, BE @ Sonic City Festival
14 – Brussels, BE @ Witloof Bar
16 – Berlin, DE @ Cassiopeia
17 – Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Bar
18 – Paris, FR @ Les Femmes S’en Melent @ Petit Bain
19 – Lille, FR @ The Black Lab
20 – Luxembourg City, LU @ Rotondes Klub
December
02 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar %
03 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Pappy’s %
08 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza (Headline)
09 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar (Headline)
18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour *
19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour *
(# – supporting IDLES)
($ – supporting Pillow Queens)
(% – co-headline w/ Kills Birds)
(* – supporting Osees)
