About one minute into "aimee lou wood freestyle," the new single from the LA band untitled (halo)," a guy starts rapping in a detached, spaced-out flow that reminds me of SALEM when they first arrived: "666, yeah, all I see is black/ Don’t touch me if you ain’t touchin’ stacks." Before that, "aimee lou wood freestyle" was pretty much a shoegaze song, with layered, processed guitars and dreamy vocals from band member Ariana Mamnoon. Once the verse kicked in, though, I didn't know what I was hearing. That seems to be the intent.
untitled (halo) have been slowly building up an audience for a few years, cranking out woozy tracks on Bandcamp and cultivating a mysterious DIY sensibility. They've got a bunch of one-off singles and a couple of EPs, 2023's towncryer and 2024's headbanger. They first landed on our radar a few months ago, when they dropped a split with voyeur. Now, they've signed with the 1975-affiliated label Dirty Hit, and their self-titled full-length debut drops this fall.
When I hit play on "aimee lou wood freestyle," I figured that the title was ironic. (Aimee Lou Wood is the British actor best-known for playing Walton Goggins' much-younger girlfriend on the last White Lotus season. She does not, as far as I can tell, freestyle, either on that song or anywhere else.) But with its glossy, chaotic presentation, the song suggests that untitled (halo) have bigger, weirder ambitions than I would've previously guessed. Below, check out the surprisingly glossy self-directed "aimee lou wood freestyle" video, the album's tracklist, and the band's upcoming tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "aimee lou wood freestyle"
02 "how to make your love (stay)"
03 "industry talk"
04 "default factory settings"
05 "sex"
06 "thief"
07 "you’re going to jail now"
08 "kissimme"
09 "diss"
10 "easy rider"
11 "On10"
TOUR DATES:
09/09 - Barcelona, Spain @ Sala VOL
09/11 - Oslo, Norway @ by:Larm Fest
09/12 - Frankfurt, Germany @ Blow Fest
09/14 - London, UK @ Windmill
09/15 - London, UK @ Windmill
09/16- Paris, France @ Supersonic
09/17- Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Tolhuistuin
09/18 - Hamburg, Germany @ Reeperbahn Fest
09/20 - Berlin, Germany @ 8MM
11/11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11/12 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11/14 - New York, NY @ Baby's All Right
11/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
11/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
untitled (halo) is out 11/6 on Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.
