On the heels of their latest album, Cooler Returns, Kiwi Jr. cooly announces their first series of live dates, kicking off with River & Sky Festival in Sudbury, Ontario on July 17. Fall and Winter dates include support with TUNS, Chad Van Gaalen, Surfer Blood, Tobin Sprout, co-headline shows with Nap Eyes and Trace Mountains, as well as headline shows in Los Angeles and hometown Toronto. Want a taste of what to expect at the band’s upcoming live shows? You can watch the group’s performance on famed Seattle radio station KEXP by clicking here. See below for a full list of dates.
Kiwi Jr. has partnered with cartoonist Dmitry Bondarenko on a 24-page booklet of illustrated lyrics, which is available at Bandcamp and on tour. Jeremy Gaudet, Kiwi Jr singer/lyricist says “To see all of the insanity of our lyrics represented visually is wild. There’s stuff I saw in here that surprised even me, and I wrote the damned thing.” For more information on Cooler Returns Comic, visit the group’s merch table or Bandcamp page.
New tour dates:
Due to continued uncertainty about international travel restrictions, Kiwi Jr. are unfortunately postponing their September UK & Europe tour dates to February (& September) 2022. Tickets for their London show at Dalston Victoria will be honored on Saturday February 12, 2022. The band will also be supporting fellow Sub Pop artist Chad VanGaalen on several UK dates that week, as well as announcing headline dates in Scandinavia. More information will be forthcoming at www.KiwiJr.com/live
Sat. Jul. 17 - Sudbury, ONT - River & Sky Festival
Fri. Oct. 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold Diggers
Fri. Oct. 15 - Toronto, Horseshoe Tavern !
Thur. Nov. 11 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine %
Fri. Nov. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Made % $
Fri. Nov 19 - Columbus OH - Ace Of Cups $
Fri. Dec. 3 - London, ON - Rum Runners *
Sat. Dec. 4 - St. Catharine’s, ON - Warehouse *
Fri. Dec. 17 - Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks *
Sat. Dec. 18 - Ottawa, ON - Club Saw *
Mon. Dec. 27 - Charlottetown, PEI - Trailside Music Hall &
Tues. Dec. 28 - Halifax, NS - Seahorse Tavern &
2022:
Fri. Jan. 7 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe &
Sat. Jan. 8 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s & @
Fri. Jan. 14 - Washington DC, Songbyrd ++ @
Sat. Jan. 22 - Montreal, Ritz &
Sat. Feb. 11 - London, UK - Dalston Victoria
Sun. Feb. 13 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club ~
Mon. Feb. 14 - Manchester, UK - Night & Day ~
Tues. Feb. 15 - Bristol, UK - Louisiana ~
Thur. Feb. 17 - Copenhagen DK - Ideal Bar
Fri. Feb. 18 - Stockholm, SE - Obaren
Sat. Feb. 19 - Oslo, NO - Blaa
! w/ Sahara and Dorothea Paas
% w/ Surfer Blood
$ w/ Tobin Sprout
* w/ TUNS
& w/ Nap Eyes
++ w/ Trace Mountains
@ w/ Gladie
~ w/ Chad VanGaalen
Tickets are available at www.KiwiJr.com/live
The returns on Kiwi Jr’s Cooler Returns:
“...The accomplished successor to this band’s promising 2019 debut finds Kiwi Jr having their cake and eating it.” - ★★★★ The Observer/TheGuardian
“Sustaining momentum near-flawlessly across 13 songs… Kiwi Jr. have the skills to match their smarts" - ★★★★ MOJO
"Canadian absurdists’ return is a lyrical delight" - Uncut
"Kiwi Jr. songs unfold like the aisles of a cluttered curio shop, their retro-rock melodies overflowing with non sequiturs and hyper-specific scraps of story." - The AV Club
“The band rattle through a seemingly inexhaustible supply of hooks and melodies” - ★★★★ DIY
"Packed with golden hooks and subtle weirdness" - [8/10] Exclaim
“Crammed full of wry, observational wit and pop smarts in taut fashion” - [8/10] CLASH
"...still light and agile, basking in the sunlight as their vivid guitar work and straightforward vocals do the talking. They love a good hook as much as they love a charismatic, illuminating one-liner." - PASTE
"The band's knack for simple but sticky melody is in even clearer view on Cooler Returns." - ★★★★ All Music
[“Cooler Returns” is] “a jangly, indie rock earworm that’ll lodge itself in your brain” - NME
"Shambolic yet catchy songs are loaded with fractured riffs and lyrical non-sequiturs" - Uproxx
"Ook de referenties zijn dik in orde: the Chills, The Strokes, The Kinks, Pavement en de vroege R.E.M. ‘Fonkelende gitaarplaat die refereert aan heden en verleden.” - [Best Albums of the Month”] OOR
"...Another mighty fine record." - Under the Radar
"An impressive set of ‘90s-influenced slacker-rock with jangly guitars, rollicking piano and occasional organ, harmonica, and other instrumentation, along with observational, often-sardonic lyrics and an abundance of catchy song hooks. - KEXP
“Cooler Returns is all hits, a baker's dozen of ridiculously catchy three-minute pop nuggets that deliver massive sing-along-choruses...” - Brooklyn Vegan
"A bloody good album full of vivid charm" - ★★★★ NARC
“They understand sarcasm, can write clever, funny lyrics and don’t take themselves completely seriously." [9/10] - God Is In The TV
“Perfect pop-songs” - Louder Than War
“Cooler Returns is everything you might expect from a band like Kiwi Jr., and so much more.” - [4/5] Stereoboard
“Angular, catchy as hell, revved up power-pop racket” ★★★★ Shindig
“What sets Kiwi Jr. apart from their peers though is their madcap view of the world and Cooler Returns establishes them as a band too confident to conform; a band who have all the skills to match their lyrical smarts” - [8/10] Line Of Best Fit
"L'année 2021 ne pouvait mieux commencer qu'avec cet excellent disque a l’entrain communicatif, d’une inspiration jubilatoire, veritable rayon de soleil au cour de l’hiver”- [4/5] Rock & Folk (France)
"Les quatre musiciens de Toronto ne changent pas leur formule gagnante et livrent une guitare jangly élégante et efficace." - Les Inrocks (France)
"...Timeless, memorable, beautifully crafted pop songs" - Echoes and Dust
"Cooler Returns is an impressive achievement" - Our Culture
"...A jangle-pop delight filled with tight hooks and creative tales" - The Revue
