Detroit’s dystopian synth-punk duo ADULT. — Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller — have been making uncomfortable, uncompromising music for over 25 years, and if you thought they might be mellowing out, think again. Their 10th LP, ‘Kissing Luck Goodbye’, out now via Dais Records, is their most visceral, urgent, and flat-out furious record to date. Four middle fingers up. No apologies.
Listen / Share / Buy ‘Kissing Luck Goodbye’ here.
The Making of an Angry Record
The road to ‘Kissing Luck Goodbye’ was rough — and that’s putting it lightly. Kuperus battled chronic vertigo. The duo lost their close friend and collaborator Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb, to whom the album is dedicated. Studio air conditioners died. Car batteries (their sacred listening space) quit on them. A tariff-inflated subwoofer took months to arrive. And then, of course, there was the broader political hellscape pressing down on everything.
“We were stuck in the mud for quite a while after the election. We had all the concepts, but we would just be like, ‘What’s the point?’” — Adam Lee Miller
But fury, it turns out, is a hell of a motivator. A Paris show during a run revisiting their bass-heavy ’Anxiety Always’-era catalog lit the fuse back up.
“We were in Paris, and the kids were stage diving. And I was like, this is rad. This is kind of the energy I want to get back into.” — Nicola Kuperus
Rather than retreat, ADULT. doubled down on process — new mics for the first time in 20 years, a sprawling sample library pulled from thrift store vinyl, old and unused ADULT. material, and fresh field recordings. Shop vacs through pedals. Layers on layers. At any given moment on this record, you’re hearing a dozen things happening at once in strange, dizzying, dissonant harmony. It’s a lot. It’s intentional.
Producer Nolan Gray came on board through the most wonderfully chaotic origin story: he happened to be the host of the Airbnb where Kuperus and Miller were staying. Sometimes the universe throws you a bone, even when you’ve titled your album ‘Kissing Luck Goodbye’.
Focus Track: None of It’s Fun
The duo is sharing None of It’s Fun as the focus track — and yeah, the title says it all. Stream it below and let it rattle around in your skull for a while.
Hit the Road: US Spring Tour
ADULT. is taking ‘Kissing Luck Goodbye’ on the road starting April 10, hitting both coasts, the South, the Midwest, and everywhere in between. Tickets and updates are available here.
- Apr 10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Lodge
- Apr 11 — Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
- Apr 12 — Brooklyn, NY @ Good Room
- Apr 14 — Raleigh, NC @ Kings
- Apr 15 — Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
- Apr 16 — Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
- Apr 17 — Orlando, FL @ The Social
- Apr 18 — Miami, FL @ TBD
- Apr 21 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
- Apr 22 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
- Apr 23 — Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom
- Apr 24 — San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
- Apr 25 — Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
- Apr 28 — Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
- Apr 29 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
- Apr 30 — San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
- May 01 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever (Masonic Lodge)
- May 02 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
- May 04 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
- May 05 — Seattle, WA @ Barboza
- May 08 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
- May 09 — Cudahy, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
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