Austin glam-punk quintet A Giant Dog are proud to share “A Daydream,” the latest single from their ambitious new concept album Bite (August 25, 2023, Merge Records). After its initial rush of orchestral strings, the track’s swirling rhythm descends into punk chaos, drawing the listener ever deeper into the album’s conceptual setting – the beguiling world of Avalonia.
In contrast to what fans have grown to expect from this rough-and-rowdy crew, Bite is an intricately constructed concept album, a dense tale about its protagonist’s ultimately tragic days in a “virtual utopia” called Avalonia. New sounds and textures abound, including, most notably, sumptuous string arrangements. Fans eager to learn more about the narrative and its many themes – among them gender dysphoria and the inherent dangers of virtual reality – need not fear, because the band has completed a full-fledged screenplay to support it.
Since forming in Austin in 2008, A Giant Dog has drawn in audiences worldwide with their joyfully anarchic performances and gritty, playfully incisive recordings. Though the Texas band has already carved out a totally distinct niche with their existing works, it feels as though they’ve finally found themselves after recording a concept album in rural France. With lore as packed as it comes—points if you can spot all the Radiohead references and name all the monsters—and a cadre of global devotees of their freight train of a sound, this year finds A Giant Dog truly primed to withstand the glare of the international spotlight.
A GIANT DOG WORLD TOUR 2023
August
18 – Parish (Album Release Show) – Austin, TX
19 – Parish – Austin, TX
24 – Woodstockeboda – Alvesta, SE
25 – Get Lost Fest – Hamburg, DE
26 – Gutter City Fest – Copenhagen, DK
29 – Siate Reis Pub – Halden, NO
30 – Kafe Hærverk – Oslo, NO
31 – Hus 7 – Stockholm, SE
September
1 – Hush Hush Club – Jonkoping, SE
2 – NGBG Fest – Malmö, SE
3 – An der Autobahn – Berlin, DE
5 – Reifenlager West – Essen, DE
6 – Merlevn – Nijmegen, NL
7 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
8 – Mysty Fields – Asten-Heusden, NL
9 – Rock in the Barn – Vexin-sur-Epte, FR
10 – Frisson Acidulé – Vitry-sur-Sein, FR
13 – Le Trokson – Lyon, FR
14 – Secret Place – Montpellier, FR
15 – Gambeat Festival – Barcelona, ES
16 – El Diablo en el Esablo – Alcalà de Henares, ES
16 – Wurlitzer Ballroom – Madrid, ES
17 – Mojo Club – Tarragona, ES
19 – Il Fantasma dei Briganti – Cuneo, IT
20 – Blah Blah – Turin, IT
22 – Covo Club – Bologna, IT
24 – ISC Club – Bern, CH
25 – Horst – Kreuzlingen, CH
26 – Schokofabrik – Bayreuth, DE
27 – Immerhin – Würzburg, DE
28 – Alte Hackerei – Karlsruhe, DE
29 – Villa Nachttanz – Heidelberg, DE
30 – Spitalkirsche – Pfarrkirchen, DE
October
10 – Siberia – New Orleans, LA
11 – The EARL – Atlanta, GA
12 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
13 – Get Tight Lounge – Richmond, VA
14 – Metro – Baltimore, MD
15 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
17 – The Middle East – Boston, MA
18 – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY
19 – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY
21 – 123 Pleasant St. – Morgantown, WV
22 – Spirit – Pittsburgh, PA
23 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
24 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
25 – Icehouse – Minneapolis, MN
26 – Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
27 – Smoke and Barrel – Fayetteville, AR
28 – Mercury Lounge – Tulsa, OK
29 – Three Links Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX
November
6 – Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
7 – HQ – Denver, CO
8 – Beehive – Salt Lake City, UT
9 – The Olympic – Boise, ID
10 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
11 – Dante’s Hifi – Portland, OR
13 – Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
14 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
15 – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA 16 – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ