TORRES (moniker of Mackenzie Scott) releases a new single/video, “Hug From a Dinosaur,” which appears on Thirstier, her most exuberant and daring record to date, out July 30. Like lead single “Don’t Go Puttin Wishes in My Head,” “Hug From a Dinosaur” has a massive sound as Scott’s mighty voice sings: “Clock is sinking into quicksand disappearing fast / No bother, where we’re headed we won’t need that / What comprises all this joy I feel and where was it before? / Ancient and eternal and surreal as a hug from a dinosaur.” The accompanying video, edited by Areeb Tariq, is a neon-drenched blend of trippy visuals and clips of Scott dancing and singing.
Scott comments, “The title emerged from a dream I had. The song’s theme is that truth is eternal, and it’s also about never stopping. To bring it back down to earth, the song’s also about being ready to drop everything to do something essential for someone you love. In this instance, it’s bringing my girlfriend lunch so she can keep painting.”
Recorded in the fall of 2020 at Middle Farm Studios in the UK and co-produced by Scott, Rob Ellis and Peter Miles, Thirstier marks a turn towards a bigger, more bombastic sound for TORRES. The anxious hush that fell over much of Scott’s previous music, like 2020’s Silver Tongue, gets turned inside-out in songs tailored for post-plague celebration. Guitar-driven walls of sound surge and dissipate like surf in high winds, carrying Scott’s commanding voice to the fore.
Thirstier clasps together love songs from all angles. Romantic love, platonic love, familial love, self-love, and freeing spiritual love all commingle, all feeding one another and vaulting toward the horizon. The album revolts against the gray drag of time and wonders what could happen if we found a way to make our fantasies inexhaustible. Thirstier explodes the borders of imaginative possibility.
Following the announcement of Thirstier, Anthony Mason interviewed Scott and her partner, the visual artist Jenna Gribbon, for a profile on CBS This Morning. The heartwarming story is centered around Gribbon and Scott being each other’s muses and features a solo performance of “Don’t Go Puttin Wishes in My Head.”
Thirstier is available for pre-order now on CD, LP, and red-in-translucent-yellow Peak Vinyl along with an exclusive t-shirt.
TORRES on tour:
Aug 29 Fairfield, CT – StageOne*
Aug 30 Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace*
Aug 31 Cambridge, MA – Sonia*
Sep 03 Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place*
Sep 13 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern#
Sep 14 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups#
Sep 15 Detroit, MI – Marble Bar#
Sep 16 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle#
Sep 17 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry#
Sep 18 Kansas City, MO – Record Bar#
Sep 19 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway#
Sep 21 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge#
Sep 22 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court#
Sep 25 Boise, ID – Treefort Music Festival#
Sep 27 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern#
Sep 28 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge#
Sep 30 San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall#
Oct 01 Santa Cruz, CA – Atrium @ Catalyst#
Oct 02 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar#
Oct 03 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour#
Oct 04 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge#
Oct 06 Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co.#
Oct 07 Houston, TX – Bronze Peacock#
Oct 08 Austin, TX – 3TEN @ ACL Live#
Oct 11 Chattanooga, TN – House show
Oct 12 Atlanta, GA – The Earl*
Oct 13 Asheville, NC – ISIS Asheville*
Oct 14 Nashville, TN – EXIT/IN*
Oct 15 Knoxville, TN – Open Chord*
Oct 16 Durham, NC – The Pinhook*
Oct 17 Washington, DC – Union Stage*
Oct 18 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s*
Oct 21 New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom*
* w/ Sarah Jaffe
# w/ Ariana and the Rose
2022:
Mar 11 Glasgow, UK – Mono
Mar 12 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Mar 13 Manchester, UK – Night & Day
Mar 14 Bristol, UK – Exchange
Mar 15 London, UK – Bush Hall
Mar 17 Paris, FR – La Boule Noire
Mar 18 Gent, BE – Charlatan
Mar 19 Utrecht, NL – Ekko
Mar 21 Berlin, DE – Frannz Club
Mar 22 Hamburg, DE – Uebel & Gefährlich (Turmzimmer)
Mar 23 Cologne, DE – Bumann & SOHN
Mar 24 Heidelberg, DE – Karlstorbahnhof
Mar 25 Zürich, CH – Rote Fabrik
Mar 26 Bologna, IT – Locomotiv
