Stream the track and view the tour dates below. Cop the vinyl single here.

Tour dates:

4/19: Portsmouth, NH @ Portsmouth Singer-Songwriter Festival – The Music Hall
5/10: Napa, CA @ Bottle Rock Festival
5/17-5/19: Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Festival
5/24-5/27: George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival
6/6: Columbia MD: Merriweather Post Pavilion *
6/7: Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts *
6/8-6/9: New York, NY @ Governor’s Ball
6/10: Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheatre *
6/11: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *
6/12: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
6/13: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (Early Show)
6/13: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (Late Show)
6/14-6/16: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo

*with The National

Click below to begin viewing our top 50 songs of 2012.

The death of the music industry. The death of indie. The death of Brooklyn. All of these things have been lamented in serious tones recently on the web. And though Dave Longstreth, bandleader of Dirty Projectors, surely has a stake in all three of these premature eulogies, I highly doubt he pays any attention.

Instead, he holes up in a small hamlet in western New York—cutting some “70 ideas” and “40 finished demos.” Those would then become the wonderful Swing Lo Magellan and the recently released About to Die EP. This is how he deals with his own existential crises head on, through song.

The title track appears here as it did on the album, with it’s winking version of a deathbed moment of clarity. But things quickly turn serious and somber with “While You’re Here.” The track is a lovely, string-laden ode to the late Gerard Smith, the former multi-instrumentalist member of TV on the Radio and fellow Brooklynite. It’s a touching tribute and reason enough to check on this EP.

“Here Til It Says I’m Not”, “Simple Request”, and “Desire to Love” reprise much of what worked best on Swing Lo: confident, understated guitar work, sneaky-catchy choruses, and great singing. It’s easy to see the traces and eraser marks that would eventually make up the full-length.

The only significant speedbump is the penultimate “Buckle Up,” an angular, thrashing cut that feels much longer than its 1:47 runtime. Its spraypaint instrumentation stands in stark contrast to the lush brushstrokes found elsewhere.

Overall, the EP is an enjoyable epilogue to one of the year’s best records. And now with two excellent releases from Dirty Projectors in the books, I think it’s safe to say those “end of the world” proclamations were a little premature. Cosmically speaking, sure, we may be all about to die, but at least we get to dig some cool tunes in the process.

3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5

After releasing an absolutely magnificent Swing Lo Magellan, Dirty Projectors waste no time in getting to their next project, the About To Die EP. Today we get a glimpse at one of the songs that will fall on that EP, “While You’re Here”. The track is dedicated to Gerard Smith, member of Brooklyn’s TV On The Radio, who passed away in April of 2011. The tone is somber, bringing in orchestral instrumentation and intricate vocals only the Dirty Projectors are capable of.

Dirty Projectors’ About To Die EP drops Nov 5/6 via Domino. Stream “While You’re Here” below.

Dirty Projectors’ frontman David Longstreth takes on writing and directing roles in the band’s latest creative feat, a short film called Hi Custodian. We’ve been hearing about this piece for quite some time, but today we finally get to feast our eyes on the final product. Longstreth describes the themes of the film as being “made out of a dream.” Throw in the already imaginative tunes of the Dirty Projectors, including alternative mixes and unreleased jams from the Swing Lo Magellan sessions, and what you have hear is a rather elevated experience for the mind.

Ticking in at just over 20 minutes, we are a bit more happy about the length compared to the brevity of Flying Lotus’ short film from yesterday. Although this is sure to test your intellectual capacity just as much. Sidenote: How much does this remind you of Monty Python and the Holy Grail‘s cinematography?

Watch the film below and come back to share your thoughts. [via]

What happens when you take one of the worst corporations in America (Budweiser), and team them up with Jay-Z for a festival in Philadelphia? Well, the Made In America festival, unfortunately. There are some good acts on the list, like DJ Shadow, Run DMC, Dirty Projectors, D’Angelo, and more. But you are going to have to sit through buzzing shit storms like Calvin Harris, Chris Cornell (look at them put a star next to his name like its something to be proud of), and Skrillex, as well as fork up a pretty penny to see them throw it down. Okay, maybe it won’t be that bad, but you can bet your bottom dollar you will be in the company of raging, neon-wearing teenage girls if you decide to venture down to Philly on the first and second of September.

Enough with the jokes, though, the bigger issue here is that there is not a single risk being taken at this festival. I get it, big corporate money trying to ride already mainstream indie acts. But damn, isn’t the best part about a festival seeing a bunch of acts you’ve never heard of before and being absolutely blown away? This might be the most contrived concert of all time, and you are going to have to drink absolute shit beer if you happen to go.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 3 at 12 p.m.