THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed New Zealand heavy-psych duo Earth Tongue have just released sophomore album Great Haunting. It sees Gussie Larkin (vocals, guitar) and Ezra Simons (vocals, drums) reach for new heights and horrors, possessed by relentless riffs and demonic distortion. “On Great Haunting we’ve tightened things up, and added MORE of everything: More layers of guitar fuzz, more soaring harmonies, more oscillating vintage sense and more tom rolls!” shares Larkin.
The duo are currently halfway through a 50-date tour of Europe, supporting American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Ty Segall, as well as performing at major festivals across the continent. Their show count this year is already high, having supported stoner-rock royalty Acid King throughout Europe in May, playing three huge arena shows supporting Queens of the Stone Age and embarking on a headline tour of New Zealand.
Reflecting on their signing to In The Red Records, Larkin shares, “Joining forces with a label that houses iconic bands like Thee Oh Sees, Kid Congo, Wand and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is a dream come true for us. The list of In The Red alumni is super extensive and spans over 30 years, so we’re honored to be alongside many bands that have inspired us.”
Earth Tongue’s partnership with In The Red Records stemmed from a run of shows supporting Segall throughout New Zealand in 2023. Larkin adds, “Ty’s music has been a significant inspiration for us since early on. Ezra and I saw his band Fuzz play live in London about nine years ago, long before Earth Tongue existed. We absorbed a lot of music at that time, and in fact, many of the bands we saw released records via In The Red.”
Earth Tongue have also unveiled the video for the album’s focus single Nightmare. Directed by Levi Strauss Cranston and filmed alongside the video for recent single Out Of This Hell, the Nightmare video follows Larkin as she spirals further into isolation sickness, tormented by a faceless figure in a black cloak.
“This is an unusual track for us,” says Simons of the song, “It’s an upbeat, high-energy track with a hectic and aggressive feel… it’s about someone avoiding their conscious life by escaping into their nightmares, and it was one of the very last songs to be added to the album.”
Earth Tongue is a heavy psychedelic rock two-piece band hailing from Aotearoa. They are renowned for their spellbinding fusion of ethereal melodies and thunderous drums. They have carved a niche within the global music scene, captivating audiences with their mesmerizing live performances and transcendent sonic soundscapes.”
