Chicago trio Plum have never been shy about their post-punk lineage — the Pylon grooves, the Talking Heads angularity, the Gang of Four bite are all right there on the surface. But on their new single, out now, the band point that lineage somewhere stranger: a dance-apocalypse born from a dream.
Bodies in Motion is the title track from Plum’s forthcoming second full-length, out August 21 via self-release. It’s the second single from the record, following July’s Asymmetric, and it’s got the band’s signature intuitive chaos dialed all the way up — three melodic lines (Jeff Kelley’s voice, Heather Perry’s voice, and Kelley’s guitar) tangled into one contrapuntal knot.
The Story Behind the Song
Kelley says the track started as a dream that he woke up from and immediately turned into a short story:
“The idea is that a frequency starts being broadcast from every electronic device all over the world that causes people to dance uncontrollably. No one knows who started it, but it’s clear that it was more powerful than intended and it took over the whole world and plunged it into a dance-apocalypse.”
That’s the album in miniature: the body taking over from the mind, motion as both subject and method.
About the Album
‘Bodies in Motion’ is Plum’s follow-up to 2024’s ‘Can’t Hold On To It,’ and by their own account, they made it by unlearning the process that built that debut. Sessions started at a cabin in Wisconsin, where songs emerged from tarot pulls, graphic scores, and vocal improvisations in the woods — plus dares to write in the styles they’d normally avoid.
New drummer Eric Ridder (Em Spel, Vaya) anchors the record’s motorik pulse while opening room for more interlocking, call-and-response parts between vocals, guitar, and bass. Where the debut leaned on groove and propulsion, ‘Bodies in Motion’ is built on layered counterpoint — parts that circle and answer each other, never quite settling.
Recent single Too Much Sunlight lands August 13, ahead of the LP’s August 21 release.
Live Dates
- AUG 20 — Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle w/ No Men, Girlypants (Record Release Show)
- AUG 21 — Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog w/ MRKT, The Magnavox’s
- AUG 22 — Akron, OH @ The Cave w/ The Bics, MRKT, Cloner
- AUG 23 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Government Center w/ Breiner/Heulitt/Weidman Trio, Chameleon Treat
Bodies in Motion is out now — grab the pre-order for ‘Bodies in Motion’ on Bandcamp ahead of the August 21 street date.
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