Written by Brent Clifton
Instrumental metal pioneers Intervals have announced that their new album ‘memory palace’ will be released on Friday, May 17th. Along with this news, the band released the first single off the album, “neurogenesis.” Featuring electronic duo KOAN Sound, the single is an on-repeat listen! Check out the new single + music video here:
intervals & koan sound | neurogenesis (official video)
Check out what Aaron Marshall of Intervals had to say about the exciting news:
“I’m very excited to finally share more new music with everyone, and to officially announce the release of “memory palace”. We’ve all been really happy with the reception to the first single (“mnemonic”) that came out last year, so it feels good to let people in on the sound a little more, and to tell everyone about this new record!
In regards to “neurogenesis”, this is a tune that was meant to happen for some time now. After the release of ‘Circadian’, I had actually been in touch with the KOAN Sound guys about potentially having them remix something from the record, which didn’t come to fruition with everyone getting busy again after some unintended time away from the road, but we did stay in touch about future collaborations down the line, and I’m so hyped we made this happen. Drum and bass has always had a strong influence on me, and while I’ve alluded to, or borrowed from the style in subtle ways over time, delving further into the sound has been something I’m naturally drawn to. Collaborating with Jim & Will on this song was such a joy, and something I’m super proud of. I feel like we achieved this really unique blend of their sound, while still keeping the core of the Intervals live band at the center, which makes for this really fresh hybrid of synthesized elements, and real-world performance, which precisely meets the mark of what I think we set out to achieve.
Visually, I tapped into the mind of my good friend Sam Beck who went over and above to bring the core elements of the “memory palace” album art (by Mihailo Kalabic) to life in such a gripping, high-energy video companion to the tune. Definitely head over to YouTube and take a look, if you haven’t yet!
aaaand we’re kicking off a co-headline tour with our friends in Hail The Sun + support from Body Thief & Makari this Friday! We’ll be on the road across the US + Toronto & Montreal until about mid-April. We’ve got a wild set dialed in for this one, featuring both the two singles out now, another new tune that isn’t out (just yet), and some previous material we’ve never played live before. We’ve also got a full spread of new merch, and you can come learn more about the new record (which is available now for pre-order online) at the table! These shows are going to be really fun and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone out there!”
Check out our interview with Aaron of intervals below where we touch on topics such as the tour they are currently on!
1. What are you most looking forward to about touring with Hail the Sun this Spring, and
what can fans expect from your dynamic this tour?
I’m just hyped for this tour in general! I feel like this is a really fun and unique crossover that makes more sense than perhaps it may appear on the surface. I think that will be evident to anyone who comes out to a show on this tour. In terms of our dynamic, both of our bands bring a super high-energy live show and there is a strong mutual respect between all members of both camps, so morale will be high!
2. How do you feel about performing at the Kill Iconic Fest in the middle of the tour?
This is one I’m definitely looking forward to. This year’s lineup is STACKED. We get to play with our friends in Night Verses, as well as tons of other great acts like Being As An Ocean, A Lot Like Birds, and tons of other great bands. It’s also at the Anaheim House of Blues which is always a fun room to play. I was just there to see Silent Planet a few weeks ago while I was in town for NAMM and it was getting me hyped to be back there for a show ourselves. Our last gig there was the finale of our tour with Between The Buried and Me & CHON in 2019.
3. Do you do any traditions or behind-the-scenes prep that you do before each show?
Nothing overly specific, but there is always a good hang in the green room where we’re casually warming up and getting the vibe/energy going for the set. We try not to overdo the warming-up part beyond just getting the hands going, maybe reviewing a few parts here and there that might be sticking a little during the show, but it really isn’t very rigid at all, which I think makes for a better show.
4. You released your latest single, mnemonic, back in October. Do you plan to unveil any
new projects or music while on the road?
Oh yes, absolutely. There is a whole new record locked and loaded. We’ve got lots coming together that will be announced as we get a little closer, and there are definitely a handful of new songs on this set 😉
5. Are there any particular cities or venues that you’re looking forward to playing on this
tour?
The ones that come to mind are certainly Denver, LA/Anaheim, Orlando, NYC, Toronto & Chicago, but I’m just pumped for the whole thing, sincerely.
6. What are your favorite and least favorite things about touring, and why?
To be honest, I can’t justify complaining about what we get to do on tour. Sure, there might be some annoying minutia of certain day-to-day aspects of touring, but it’s pretty binary for me. If I had any substantial things to put in the least favourite category, I feel like I’d be at odds with doing it at all. I’m still in love with the road and all that comes with it. If that ever starts to change, then that’s when I need to ask myself if it’s worth doing. Otherwise, I’m all in on all of it.
7. What are some of your favorite songs to include in your setlist and why?
As far as new music, we got to debut “mnemonic” on our tour with Tesseract last fall, and it quickly became a favourite, for sure. I can also predict the other new tunes are easily going to slide right to the top of the list, but as far as back catalogue tunes, we brought the first Intervals song of all time (“Still Winning”), back into the set on this last tour and that was such a fun and nostalgic blast from the past for me. Other staples are tunes like I’m Awake, Sure Shot, Leave No Stone, Mata Hari, Epiphany, Lock & Key, String Theory. It’s so tough to choose though. I genuinely enjoy performing all of my music live.
8. Have there been any memorable moments that have stood out to you that influenced
how you approach touring?
That’s an interesting question! I’m not sure I have any specific moments, probably more so entire tours with certain bands, as I tend to recall each one like a chapter in a book. There were definitely some life lessons and takeaways from the ones that stand out in my mind, either from the perspective of how to refine and run our operation behind the scenes, or how to enhance our performance on stage. I’d say touring Europe for the first time with Protest The Hero & Tesseract in January/February of 2014, as well as an entire year of touring in support of Animals As Leaders in 2016, where my good friend Plini and I shared a band/crew and performed two sets a night as “Plintervals”. Those were some really special shows and an incredible year of touring overall where everyone learned so much. Last year, we were fortunate to be invited to support our friends in Spiritbox on their inaugural North American headliner and the shows were unreal. Those are all standouts tours that taught me many invaluable lessons, for sure.
Want to see the new single live? Want to see Intervals in general? Check out their tour dates below and come to a show!
Upcoming Tour Dates w/ Hail The Sun, Body Thief + Makari:
March 8 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe
March 9 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
March 10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
March 12 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
March 13 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
March 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
March 15 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
March 17 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
March 18 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
March 20 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
March 21 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre
March 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
March 23 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues (Kill Iconic Fest) March 24 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile Theatre
March 26 – Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory
March 27 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center March 28 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall March 30 – Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues
March 31 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
April 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Underground
April 3 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage April 5 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
April 6 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
April 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
April 9 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
April 10 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
April 11 – Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy
April 12 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
April 13 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
Tour Dates With Mammoth WVH:
May 4 – Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center May 5 – Portland, ME @ Aura
May 7 – Wilmington, DE @ The Queen
May 8 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
May 10 – Cherokee, NC @ Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Event Center May 12 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
May 14 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal
May 16 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
May 17 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
memory palace
Track Listing:
1. neurogenesis (feat. KOAN Sound) 2. Mnemonic
3. galaxy brain (feat. J3PO) 4. nootropic
5. side quest (feat. Evan Marien) 6. circuit bender
7. lacuna (feat. OBLVYN)
8. Chronophobia
