Tortoise - Touch (2025 International Anthem Vinyl LP with Obi)

Chicago post-rock pioneers Tortoise return with their first album in seven years, continuing their four-decade exploration of the intersection between rock instrumentation, jazz improvisation, electronic production, and minimalist composition. Touch finds the core quintet of Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, Jeff Parker, John Herndon, and John McEntire crafting ten compositions that showcase their signature patience and attention to sonic detail, with guest string players adding texture to "Promenade À Deux". Recorded across three studios in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago, then mixed at Soma Electronic Music Studios and mastered at Elysian Masters, this 2025 release on International Anthem comes with an obi strip holding label information and catalogue details, plus a paper inner sleeve.

Tortoise's influence on experimental rock cannot be overstated. Since forming in 1990, they've defined post-rock's aesthetic: rock instruments played with jazz sensibility, electronic textures woven through acoustic performances, compositions that value mood and texture over conventional verse-chorus structures. Touch continues this approach across tracks ranging from the opening "Vexations" through the closing "Night Gang", each piece building gradually through layered instruments and carefully constructed arrangements. Jeff Parker's presence connects this album to his acclaimed solo work and his extensive jazz collaborations, while the entire group's collective experience (including McEntire's production work at Electrical Audio) ensures sophisticated sonic craftsmanship throughout.

The obi strip on this release provides catalogue information and references other International Anthem releases, situating Tortoise within the label's roster of boundary-pushing jazz and experimental music. The band's relationship with International Anthem (also home to Makaya McCraven, Alabaster DePlume, and other innovators) reflects how contemporary jazz and experimental rock increasingly share aesthetic concerns and audiences. Pressed with etched runouts and including detailed recording/mixing/mastering credits, this worldwide release represents Tortoise's continued commitment to meticulous production and sonic excellence.