PWR BTTM have been talking about their second album (and first for Polyvinyl) for a while now, and it's finally announced. The album's called Pageant and it drops on May 12 via their new label home. The lead single is "Big Beautiful Day" and it's another dose of their emotionally bare pop punk, but clearer, sharper, and bigger sounding than anything on their debut. It's great stuff, and you can watch the video for it below. The video was directed by Christopher Good, and it stars both members of PWR BTTM and features a cameo by Diet Cig singer Alex Luciano. Here's some more insight on the new album:



"I want to challenge people to conceive of a record that is personal and political," Bruce says. “The two don’t need to be in conflict.”

Pageant—so named for the duo’s shared interest in high-femme glamor, systems of gender, identity performance, and all things drag—switches from clarion call to cathartic meditation from song to song, sometimes even verse to verse. Take “Big Beautiful Day.” Over soaring chords and percussion, Hopkins rips into the “men who live to bring you down” and the culture of toxic masculinity that enables them. He later shifts the narrative, wondering if we still have a chance at saving the little boys locked within those men “who never had a choice but to grow up and be scared to be your friend.”

On “Answer My Text,” Bruce tackles the gendered power dynamics of dating and how they, more often than not, tip the scales against women and femmes. The song is bratty and immature—way more concerned with the dumbass who hasn’t texted the narrator back than with the system of gender that taught him it’s OK for him to be so callous. But it speaks truth to power with every shouted refrain of “ANSWER MY TEXT, YOU DICK!!” and invites the listener to claim that power for themselves if they’d like to shout along.

Reclamation is a recurring theme throughout Pageant. There’s “New Trick,” in which Bruce flips the cis gaze on its head, along with sister tracks “Sissy” and “Silly.” The former has Bruce finding power through being “a big, bad sissy,” who, perhaps channeling late visual artist Mark Aguhar, is “determined to be anything but a man.” Album opener “Silly” features Hopkins growing comfortable with a word that has been used against him his whole life.

“‘Silly’ is my least favorite word. When I was a kid, people would use it to belittle me when I was feeling sensitive or anxious or worried—feelings that could be described as ‘feminine’ or ‘girly,’” he says. “My parents would say, ‘Stop being silly.’ or ‘Take it on the chin.’ You know, ‘Be a man.’”

PWR BTTM also have upcoming shows, including one at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on Saturday (2/18) (which was moved from Shea Stadium). That's sold out.

They also added many more shows, including another NYC show on June 21 at Webster Hall, which is by far their largest headlining show in NYC yet. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (2/17) at noon with an artist presale starting Wednesday (2/15) at 10 AM.

All dates are listed, along with the new song stream, album artwork and tracklist, below.

Tracklist

1. Silly (2:35)

2. Answer My Text (2:48)

3. LOL (2:47)

4. Won't (2:20)

5. Now Now (2:23)

6. Sissy (2:25)

7. Pageant (2:29)

8. Oh, Boy (2:47)

9. New Trick (2:27)

10. Wash (2:45)

11. Kids' Table (2:20)

12. Big Beautiful Day (2:49)

13. Styrofoam (2:53)

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PWR BTTM -- 2017 Tour Dates

Wed, Feb 15 - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern Café + Music Hall

Thu, Feb 16 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery**

Fri, Feb 17 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA**

Sat, Feb 18 - Brooklyn, NY - The Knitting Factory**

Sun, Feb 19 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theater**

Thu, Feb 23 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club**

Mon, Feb 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Highland Park Ebell Club**

Mon, Apr 10 - Dublin, Ireland - The Workman's Club

Tue, Apr 11 - Manchester, UK - The Deaf Institute

Wed, Apr 12 - Sheffield, UK - The Harley Hotel & Bar

Thu, Apr 13 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds

Sat, Apr 15 - Glasgow, UK - Centre for Contemporary Arts

Sun, Apr 16 - Bristol, UK - Exchange

Mon, Apr 17 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt

Tue, Apr 18 - London, UK - The Garage

Thu, Apr 20 - Nantes, FR - Stereolux

Fri, Apr 21 - Bourges, FR - Printemps de Bourges

Sat, Apr 22 - Paris, FR - Venue TBA

Mon, Apr 24 - Lille, FR - L'aeronef

Tue, Apr 25 - Rouen, FR - 106

Mon, Mar 13 - Sun, Mar 19 - Austin, TX - SXSW 2017

Fri, May 26 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground

Tue, May 30 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean

Thu, Jun 01 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club

Fri, Jun 02 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown

Mon, Jun 05 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada

Tue, Jun 06 - Austin, TX - Barracuda

Wed, Jun 07 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall

Thu, Jun 08 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa

Fri, Jun 09 - Tallahassee, FL - The Wilbury

Sat, Jun 10 - Orlando, FL - Backbooth

Mon, Jun 12 - Atlanta, GA - Hell @ The Masquerade

Tue, Jun 13 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge

Thu, Jun 15 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook

Fri, Jun 16 - Washington, DC - Black Cat

Sat, Jun 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

Mon, Jun 19 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

Tue, Jun 20 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre

Wed, Jun 21 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

Fri, Jul 07 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo

Sat, Jul 08 - Columbus, OH - The Basement

Sun, Jul 09 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway

Wed, Jul 12 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole

Sat, Jul 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom

Sun, Jul 16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall

Tue, Jul 18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre

Wed, Jul 19 - Seattle, WA - Neumos

Fri, Jul 21 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret

Sat, Jul 22 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett

Sun, Jul 23 - Missoula, MT - Zootown Arts Community Center

Tue, Jul 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court

Thu, Jul 27 - Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater

Sun, Jul 30 - Lakewood, OH - Mahall's

**Sold Out