Electronic duo The Knocks are back with a new EP and North American tour to go along with it. Having supported Justin Bieber on his Purpose Tour and a slew of other artists including Ellie Goulding, The 1975, Bruno Mars, Sleigh Bells, and DJ Shadow, The Knocks have solidified themselves as one of the hottest live acts of the year, lauded by Billboard, Fuse and more for their performances at Bonnaroo, Governor's Ball and Outside Lands. Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “JPatt” Patterson first met in a studio at New School at the age of 19. They became roommates while residing in the Lower East Side and turned their place into a bootleg studio where they eventually remixed Jay Z's American Gangster in an impressive two days and gained 60k downloads.
The Knocks' debut studio album 55 (2016) saw commercial success and extensive collaborations from Fetty Wap, Cam'ron, Wyclef Jean, Carly Rae Jepsen, Matthew Koma, Magic Man, Alex Newell, Phoebe Ryan, X Ambassadors, Walk the Moon and Justin Tranter. The new EP Testify is set for release on February 3rd and features single "Trouble" ft. Absofacto.
Testifyfollows its predecessor55 as a piece of pop perfection. The EP is a flawless execution of dance pop that's reminiscent of The Knocks' signature good vibes sound, with each of the six tracks showcasing distinct characters. The EP kicks off with funky, upbeat "Worship", complemented by soulful and hearty vocals from British singer/record producer MNEK. The rest of Testify sees significantly less funk qualities, but are dance-inducing nonetheless. Single "Trouble" is catchy in a subtle, laid-back way with it's addicting baseline and sultry hook. Emotional vocals and powerful chords in "Your Eyes" set the track apart as one of the more serious ones. In the last track "Lie", Jerm belts out "We Lie, We Fight", lyrics which betray the upbeat, fast-paced feel of the song. In creating a unique flavor reflective of each vocalist and song, The Knocks have proved themselves masters of production. Over and over, their versatility in making feel-good music fit for anything from summer jamming to late-night disco partying has been unchallenged.
Testify Tracklist
1) Worship (feat. MNEK)
2) Heat (feat. Sam Nelson Harris)
3) Trouble (feat. Absofacto)
4) Feel Love (feat. Delacey)
5) Your Eyes (feat. Tayla Parx)
6) Lie (feat. Jerm)
The Knocks commence their upcoming "Feel Good, Feel Great" Tour in February. Catch them on the dates below:
THE KNOCKS 2017 “FEEL GOOD FEEL GREAT” TOUR:
FRI 03-Feb-17 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club*
SAT 04-Feb-17 Seattle, WA - Neptune*
MON 06-Feb-17 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom*
WED 08-Feb-17 San Luis Obispo, CA - The Graduate*
THU 09-Feb-17 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore**
SAT 11-Feb-17 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre**
SUN 12-Feb-17 Santa Barbara, CA - SoHo Music Club*
MON 13-Feb-17 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst*
THU 02-Mar-17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club***
SAT 04-Mar-17 Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry @ The Fillmore Philadelphia** *
FRI 10-Mar-17 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club***
SAT 11-Mar-17 Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall***
TUE 14-Mar-17 Lansing, MI - The Loft***
THU 16-Mar-17 Detroit, MI – Shelter***
FRI 17-Mar-17 Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground***
SAT 18-Mar-17 Montreal, QC - Belmont ***
TUE 21-Mar-17 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall***
WED 22-Mar-17 Syracuse, NY - Westcott Theater***
THU 23-Mar-17 Boston, MA - Royale Boston***
FRI 24-Mar-17 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place***
SAT 25-Mar-17 New York, NY - Terminal 5***
*support from Mark Johns & Skylar Spence
**support from Lophiile, Mark Johns & Skylar Spence
***support from Bipolar Sunshine & Gilligan Moss