The Weather Machine closes out their international album release tour in their Wellington hometown along with locals Octopus in Heels!
“Applecore,” The Weather Machine’s fourth studio album, is much bigger than anything they’ve ever made. This is by design. Produced by Tucker Martine in Portland, Oregon, “Applecore” finally captures the rollicking energy, precision, and depth that Weather Machine live shows are known for. Out this November, it will be a treat to any longtime fan or newcomer.
At first listen, the songs are fun. Tracks like “Protection” and “Boxes” contain cheeky musical reference to retro psychedelia, while also remaining grounded in catchy pop rhythms. Songs like “Uncle John” and “Applecore Part II” revel in the gaudy arena rock its creators grew up on.
Dig a little deeper though, and the songs become beautifully bittersweet. Beneath the surface, Applecore is thematically rooted in questions about the soul, as Slater Smith, the project’s lead, examines his own connection to an America that he sees as both shadowy and sparkling. The creative contradiction may be best summed up in the final words of the record:
“The world’s gonna end, and when it does I want to be in it. In the dust and the rain and all of the negative space. And if the world’s gonna end, I want to be here with you in it, and not in my head”
