The Get Up Kids examine 'Problems' on long-awaited new release

The Get Up Kids today announced their first full-length album in eight years, Problems -- produced by Grammy Award-winner Peter Katis (Kurt Vile, The National) -- will be released May 10 via Polyvinyl Record Co. The video for first single “Satellite” is out today; watch it now HERE and stream the track at all DSPs HERE.

Problems is now available for pre-order HERE. The band today also announced three shows at this year’s SXSW including the Polyvinyl Showcase at The Mohawk on March 13th and Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion at Scoot Inn on March 14th. More shows will soon be announced.

“I started writing ‘Satellite’ about my son who’s 14 and a total introvert—not antisocial, he just genuinely likes to keep to himself,” says guitarist/vocalist Matt Pryor. “But then somewhere down the line I started singing about myself—about how even when you’re playing a show to a room full of people, I can still feel anxious and isolated.”

Director Kerstin Ebert explains, “The feeling of being isolated in a big city can be depressing. But instead of making this a sad story, I added a cardboard man named Hank to the storyline -- a guy who lives like a normal human being amongst 8 million other people in New York City. Even though Hank's adventurous ambitions as well as his facial expressions are very limited, he is the heart of the story and the biggest dreamer of all.”

The follow-up to 2018 EP, Kicker, Problems came to life in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with the band -- Matt Pryor, Jim Suptic (guitars/vocals), Rob Pope (bass), Ryan Pope (drums), and James Dewees (keys) -- holing up together for a three-week span.

Through the years, The Get Up Kids have purposely pushed themselves toward previously unexplored songwriting material. “I’m 41 now, I could never write a song like when I was 19—all those ‘I miss my girlfriend’ kind of songs,” Suptic says. “It’s always important to us to write about wherever we are right now.”

As shown on Problems, the resulting output both preserves the beloved spirit of The Get Up Kids and creates an entirely new context for their music. “A big part of the reason why we started writing new songs in the first place is that we have things we want to say about this moment in time,” says Pryor. “We’re still so connected to our past and where this all came from—it’s definitely a celebration of the fact that we still get to do this.”

Track list:

1. Satellite
2. The Problem Is Me
3. Salina
4. Now Or Never
5. Lou Barlow
6. Fairweather Friends
7. Common Ground
8. Waking Up Alone
9. The Advocate
10. Symphony of Silence
11. Brakelines
12. Your Ghost Is Gone

The Get Up Kids At SXSW:

3/13 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk - Polyvinyl Record Co. / Double Double Whammy /
Big Scary Monsters + Friends Showcase (11:45 PM)
3/14 - Austin, TX - W Hotel - Austin City Limits Radio Live Broadcast (9:00 AM)
3/14 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn - Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion (11:00 PM)

European Tour Dates:

05/07 - Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle #
05/08 - Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Dynamo #
05/09 - Antwerp, Belgium @ Zappa #
05/10 - Leipzig, Germany @ Conne Island #
05/11 - Munich, Germany @ Backstage #
05/13 - Bologna, Italy @ Locomotiv #
05/14 - Milan, Italy @ Magazzini Generali #
05/16 - Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz #
05/18 - Madrid, Spain @ Independance Club #
05/20 - Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie #
05/21 - Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof #
05/22 - Berlin, Germany @ SO36 #
05/23 - Cologne, Germany @ Luxor #
05/25 - Leeds, UK @ Slam Dunk Festival North
05/26 - Hatfield, UK @ Slam Dunk Festival South
# w/ Muncie Girls