Protomartyr have released “Exalted Eagles,” the final single from their seventh album, Hotel Usona, out this Friday via Domino. The nine-track record follows 2023’s Formal Growth in the Desert, and the new song arrives after earlier previews “Feed the Sewer” and “Sounds We Cannot Hear.”
Vocalist Joe Casey put the moment in characteristically flat terms: “So now that you’ve heard a third of the album are you sold? If in doubt, remember: Annuit cœptis! PS: please leave a review and tell your friends. The algorithm needs all the help it can get.” The line doubles as a small display of the album’s frame. Casey has described Hotel Usona as an image of the United States as an ageing hotel, where each song occupies a room with its own troublesome guest.
“Exalted Eagles” is tied to warped patriotism in the band’s notes, while the wider record also reaches into AI, deportation, violence, JD Vance, and the pressures of becoming a father. Hotel Usona was recorded at Dave Fridmann’s Tarbox Road Studios in western New York, with Fridmann co-producing alongside Protomartyr guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Greg Ahee. Casey is joined by drummer Alex Leonard and bassist Scott Davidson. The album is available to pre-order now.
