Tune-Yards – How Big Is The Rainbow
Oakland-based experimental duo Tune-Yards has released “How Big Is The Rainbow”, the final single ahead of their sixth album “Better Dreaming”, which arrives today May 16th via 4AD. The track represents a moment of earnest advocacy from Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, focusing specifically on support for transgender rights amid increasing hostility.
Garbus explains the song’s genesis with characteristic directness: “The title lyric came out in a flash, and felt more sincere than I’ve ever been lyrically, maybe. But in this day and age, there is no room for subtlety when it comes to advocating for every single human being, for our trans family especially. And SHIT, how big IS the fucking rainbow?! It feels like the time to prove it to each other, to show each other how big it can be.”
The track follows previous singles “Limelight” (which featured vocals from the couple’s 3-year-old child and was inspired by family dance sessions to George Clinton) and “Heartbreak”. Together, these releases paint a picture of an album that continues the band’s tradition of blending deeply personal narratives with political commentary, all wrapped in their signature experimental pop soundscape.
“How Big Is The Rainbow” arrives as the duo prepares for an extensive touring schedule in support of “Better Dreaming”. Following intimate shows and listening parties across America and Mexico celebrating the album’s release (including an in-store performance at Amoeba Records in San Francisco on May 17th), they’ll embark on a full U.S. headline tour this fall. The September dates begin in Boston at Paradise Rock Club on the 19th, with stops at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, Nashville’s Exit/In, and Minneapolis’s Fine Line before concluding at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. Prior to these dates, they’ll play a June West Coast run including shows at The Bellwether in Los Angeles and a hometown performance at Berkeley’s UC Theatre. The tour will eventually extend to the UK and Europe in November, featuring a performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall on the 22nd.
For all U.S. dates, Tune-Yards has partnered with PLUS1, donating $1 per ticket to Street Spirit, an independent newspaper covering homelessness and poverty from the perspective of those most affected. The paper is sold on the streets of Berkeley and Oakland by unhoused people, who retain 100% of the donations they receive.
