California Wives announce tour dates with Stars and Diamond Rings + new track premiere

Chicago new-wave quartet California Wives has premiered a brand new single "Purple" with Paste (link below).

"Tied together with a 16th-note pulse-contains clever hooks, melodies and phrases," the track belongs to the band's anticipated full length Art History debut, arriving on September 4, 2012 with Vagrant.

Working with producer Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Neon Indian, Wild Nothing), Art History is eleven tracks presenting a cohesive gallery of modern-day pop portraits framed with a retro '80s fit.

California Wives will support the LP on a nationwide tour with Stars and Diamond Rings.

Starting in Portland, ME on September 20, the band will tour down the East Coast, winding its way throughout the country before reaching the Northwest Coast a month later.

California Wives' lead vocalist / keyboardist Jayson Kramer made a decision in 2009 to leave behind a promising career in medicine for a professional go at music.

"I was completely honest with myself for the first time in my life and recognized that I had no desire to go on with medical school." Around this time he moved back to his hometown of Chicago where he was introduced to drummer Joe O'Connor, and bassist Dan Zima. It was via their shared appreciation of music and compatible chemistry that California Wives was formed in 2009, with the current lineup being cemented in 2012 upon the new addition of lead guitarist Graham Masell.

The new Art History LP follows the band's 2010 EP Affair, which won over local and national press, with My Old Kentucky Blog raving, "This could be the next buzz band everyone is talking about."

Joy Division / New Order's Peter Hook also took notice, appointing the band to open his headlining set at The Light at Chicago's Metro Cabaret.

California Wives September/October 2012 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

9/20 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
9/21 - Boston, MA - Paradise
9/22 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
9/23 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
9/25 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
9/26 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
9/27 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
9/28 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
9/29 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10/2 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
10/3 - Cincinnati, OH - 20th Century Theatre
10/4 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe @ Old National Centre
10/5 - St. Louis, MO - Plush
10/6 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note
10/9 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
10/10 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
10/11 - Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Room
10/12 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's Upstairs
10/13 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
10/17 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theater
10/19 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre
10/20 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

*All dates with STARS and Diamond Rings

Art History Tracklisting:

1. Blood Red Youth
2. Tokyo
3. Marianne
4. The Fisher King
5. Los Angeles
6. Photolights
7. Purple
8. Better Home
9. Twenty Three
10. The New Process
11. Light Year

"Chicago new-wave aesthetes California Wives caught our ears...this morning." - Pitchfork

"'Affair' favors slow-build arrangements and tightly woven grooves that will tempt even the most reluctant wallflower." - Chicago Tribune "Band for 2011"

Download/Stream Link: "Purple" on Paste

For the latest tour dates and information, please go to:

California Wives Official Website