Revered Philadelphia punks Poison Ruin have expanded their signature approach to grim mythmaking and scythe-swinging aggression in bold new directions, offering up a new body of songs that strike one as equal parts natural, undeniably of this world, and phantasmal. Hymns from the Hills is meticulously composed, a dense sculpture of rhythmic and tonal juxtapositions that regularly shift without warning, persistently commanding attention yet denying the comfort of predictability.
Poison Ruin ambitiously rewrite the very rules of what punk is capable of achieving, pushing their sound into expansive new terrains without sacrificing an ounce of the bleak symbolism and uncompromising aggression that first established them as an urgent new voice in the world of extreme music.
The album’s title track “‘Hymn from the Hills’ is about living on the outside, by force or by choice, and what is lost and gained in the process,” tells frontman, lyricist and guitarist Mac Kennedy. It’s available today alongside his self-directed video.
Hymns from the Hills sees its release April 3 via Relapse Records on vinyl, CD and digital platforms. For more information on physical variants and to pre-order, go here. Poison Ruin’s headlining North American Spring tour kicks off April 11 in NYC at Bowery Ballroom. The run covers the East Coast, Midwest and more with support from The Serfs, Prision Postumo, Cruelster, Dollhouse, Savage Pleasure, Peace Talks, Zorn and Marked Men on select dates. Tickets are on sale here. For a full list of dates and artwork, see below.
Hymns from the Hills Tracklist:
01 – Intro
02 – Lily Of the Valley
03 – Hymn from the Hills
04 – Eidolon
05 – Howls From the Citadel
06 – Pilgrimage
07 – Guts (Lay Your Self Aside)
08 – Turn To Dust
09 – Puzzle Box
10 – Serpent’s Curse
11 – Sleeping Giant (Interlude)
12 – Crescent Sun
13 – The Standoff
Poison Ruin Live Dates:
Apr 11: New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Apr 12: Medford, MA – Deep Cuts
Apr 13: Portland, ME – Genos
Apr 14: Portsmouth, NH – Press Room
Apr 15: Brattleboro, VT – The Stone Church
Apr 16: Montreal, QB – Petit Campus
Apr 17: Toronto, ON – The Garrison
Apr 18: Detroit, MI – Edgeman
Apr 19: Muskegon, MI – Rake Beer Project
Apr 21: Cincinnati, OH – Northside Tavern
Apr 22: Chicago, IL – Subterranean
Apr 23: Minneapolis, MN – Zhora Darling
Apr 24: Milwaukee, MN -Quarters
Apr 25: St. Louis, MO – The Sinkhole
Apr 26: Indianapolis, IN – Healer
Apr 28: Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog
Apr 29: Pittsburgh, PA – 222 Ormsby
Apr 30: Richmond, VA – Cobra Cabana
May 01: Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
May 02: Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
Apr 11 w/ Prision Postumo, Dollhouse, Savage Pleasure
Apr 12-15, 4/28 w/ Peace Talks
Apr 18-4/28 w/ Cruelster
Apr 29 – May 02 w/ The Serfs
May 02 w/ Marked Men, The Serfs, Zorn
