Niis announce Rise Records debut EP Play Niis alongside Earthquakes video
Niis have signed to Rise Records and will release their new EP, Play Niis, on 23 October. The six-track release is introduced by Earthquakes, a melodic but bruised new single accompanied by an official video directed by Jake Woodbridge.
The Los Angeles band’s Rise Records debut was produced by Austin Coupe and Michael Schuman, with the material written through periods of heartbreak, upheaval and uncertainty. While retaining the sharp-edged energy of the group’s earlier work, Play Niis finds the band pushing towards a broader, more melodic sound.
Vocalist Mimi Doe described the EP’s intended atmosphere through a distinctly early-2000s lens: “Picture this, you’ve just left the movies at the mall, your mom is calling you on your brand new flip phone. You ignore it and walk into the nearest Hot Topic. A song you haven’t heard before is playing on the speakers. They don’t have the CD you wanted and he hasn’t texted you back, so you go home, flip on the tube, Buffy’s on and she’s listening to that same song. That’s the vibe we’re going for here with Play Niis.”
A love letter to heartbreak
Earthquakes sets the tone with a song about the lingering damage left by a relationship’s collapse. Doe said: “It’s a song about growing through pain and heartbreak. Coming to terms with lost love and the profound scars it can leave on your heart. In a way, it’s a love letter to heartbreak itself.”
On joining Rise Records, she added: “Working with Rise has been a dream. They truly are a label who have cultivated such an amazing environment for us to thrive and experiment.”
Pre-order or pre-save Play Niis here, with limited-edition vinyl colour variants available through the Rise Records store.
Six songs from the new EP
Alongside Earthquakes, the EP includes Bad Aim, Big Fish Baby and closing track Westside.
- Bad Aim
- Big Fish Baby
- Earthquakes
- Take Your Mess
- No Flowers
- Westside
US dates with Movements, Balance & Composure and Midrift
Niis will take Play Niis on the road this autumn as support to Movements, Balance & Composure and Midrift. The run begins in Seattle on 7 October and closes with a Vans Warped Tour festival appearance in Orlando. Ticket information and further live dates are available via the band’s official website.
- 7 Oct – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
- 8 Oct – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
- 10 Oct – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
- 12 Oct – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
- 14 Oct – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
- 15 Oct – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
- 17 Oct – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
- 18 Oct – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
- 20 Oct – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
- 21 Oct – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
- 23 Oct – New York, NY – Terminal 5
- 24 Oct – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
- 25 Oct – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
- 28 Oct – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
- 30 Oct – Richmond, VA – The National
- 31 Oct – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
- 2 Nov – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
- 4 Nov – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
- 6 Nov – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live Orlando
- 7 Nov – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
- 10 Nov – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port
- 11 Nov – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
- 13 Nov – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre
- 14 Nov – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory OC
- 15 Nov – Orlando, FL – Vans Warped Tour
