The Hard Quartet announce their eponymous debut album, out on Matador Records. Following speculation, The Hard Quartet’s existence was made official on July 30th with the band’s first single and video, ‘Earth Hater’, and an accompanying video directed by EYEDRESS. The Hard Quartet are: Emmett Kelly, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work in The Cairo Gang and The Double, as well as in the company of artists such as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Ty Segall, Rob Mazurek, and many more. Stephen Malkmus, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work with Pavement, the Jicks, Silver Jews, Straw Dogs, and eponymously. Matt Sweeney, a songwriter, guitarist, producer and vocalist best known for his work with Chavez, Superwolf, his music for ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ and his guitar work in the company of a panoply of artists from Guided by Voices and Cat Power to Johnny Cash and Adele. Jim White, a drummer and songwriter best known for his work with Dirty Three, Xylouris White, eponymously, and with such stalwarts as Guy Picciotto, Cat Power, Bill Callahan and Venom P Stinger. “Soon, the whole group is reflecting and laughing and offering a window into the free-wheeling process that informs their proudly leaderless new collaboration: an idea first proposed by Sweeney over the phone to Malkmus during the early days of the pandemic,” wrote GQ in a short profile piece introducing the group. “After collaborating in various permutations and running into each other frequently on the road, the idea of making music together - by nobody’s rules but their own, distinct from any industry trends or standards - felt like a no-brainer. Sweeney looks back in awe at The Hard Quartet’s first week of working together, during which they quickly amassed nearly an album’s worth of songs and settled into an identity that felt distinct from any of their previous projects. (‘This is not a project - it’s a band,’ Malkmus says firmly. Sweeney responds with a triumphant, guttural, ‘Yeeeah!’)” The Hard Quartet will play debut shows in New York, Los Angeles and London in October. The band will be touring extensively in 2025.