When tUnE-yArDs, a.k.a. Merrill Garbus, announced her new record Nikki Nack, she streamed a megamix of the album’s 13 tracks. Tucked somewhere in that audile assemblage was the whooping “Water Fountain”, which has now been released in full as the first single. “Water Fountain” is full of tUnE-yArDs’ signature off-the-wall energy, heavy on eclectic percussion and odd little bings and zings. We know Garbus brushed up on her rhythmic training on her recent Haitian excursion, but the song’s lyrics make it seem she also left the island nation more in tune with its people’s hardships. “Nothing feels like dying like the drying of my skin and lung,” she sings, “while we just sit here while they watch us wither till we’re gone.” Not that the song is a downer by any means, with the undeniable beat and lines about cherry pies and two-pound chickens keeping things lively. Take a listen below. Nikki Nack is due May 6th via 4AD Records. Pre-orders are now ongoing, and LPs purchased through 4AD’s or tUnE-yArDs’ websites will receive a limited edition 7-inch of “Water Fountain”. tUnE-yArDs has also announced a massive summer touring schedule, which includes opening spots for Arcade Fire and stops at the Sasquatch!, Firefly, and Forecastle music festivals. Consult the schedule following the album art and tracklist.

tUnE-yArDs' forthcoming LP, w h o k i l l, out April 19 on 4AD, aims to clean up her sound a bit while maintaining the rawness that made BiRd-BrAiNs so lovable.

Tune-Yards (stylized as tUnE-yArDs) is the music project of New England native Merrill Garbus (born March 3, 1979), with long-time collaborator, bassist Nate Brenner. Garbus's music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and utilizes elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion.

Tune-Yards’ last release 'I can feel you creep into my private life', was a self-reflexive question mark at the end of a decade of outspoken, polyphonic indie music. From 2009 to 2018, Tune-Yards (both Merrill and her partner and collaborator Nate Brenner) released four critically acclaimed albums, travelled the world relentlessly to play live shows, and composed the psychedelic score to Boots Riley's surrealist cinematic masterpiece Sorry To Bother You. "We had really been non-stop hustling," Merrill reflects. "And when we're hustling, we're complicit in all of the systems that I really don't believe in." Interrogating these systems and her role within them had left Merrill feeling heavy with grief and lost about how to move forward. The duo pressed on, inspired by the Beastie Boys Book and Questlove’s Creative Quest, and began jamming daily for hours in their home rehearsal studio “like athletes”. They ditched computer screens for live instruments (Merrill on drums, Nate on bass) and before long full songs started to emerge. Unlike the lyrical introspection of previous outing I can feel you..., on sketchy. Merrill balances self-inspection and reflection with bombastic rallying cries, reminiscent of the furious tones of early days Tune-Yards. The result is a colourful and joyous record with lyrics that cut to the bone. "I started remembering that people come to us to be entertained, to move, to feel joy. And together, I think, we can wake up.”