Cursive, December 21

Sunday, December 21, 6 p.m.

Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA

Lauded for such top-10 Billboard smashes as The Ugly Organ and Happy Hollow, and hailed by Medium for their "innovative sound that blends angular melodies with often searingly emotional lyrics," the Nebraska-based indie rockers of Cursive headline a special December 21 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their live performances inspiring Spectrum Culture to rave, "At a Cursive show, there is no weak material."

With the rockers having released eight studio albums, a compilations album, and a mix of singles and EPs since 1997, Cursive is currently touring in support of 2024's Devourer, a recording whose songs, according to PopMatters, "are the best Cursive have released since 2003." As stated at CursiveArmy.com, "Very few bands manage to last decades, and for the ones that do, it’s often easy to settle down and get a little too comfortable. But there’s nothing comfortable about Devourer, the explosive new album from Cursive. The iconic Omaha group is known for their intensity, ambition, and execution, and has spent 30 years creating a bold discography that’s defined as much by its cathartic sound as its weighty, challenging lyrical themes. And Devourer is as daring as ever. Full of intense and incisive songs, the album proves exactly why Cursive have been so influential and enduring–and why they remain so vital today.

"In the years since their 1995 formation, Cursive developed into one of the most important groups to emerge from the late-’90s/early ‘00s moment when the lines between indie rock and post-hardcore began blurring into something altogether new. Albums like Domestica (2000) and The Ugly Organ (2003) became essential touchstones whose echoes can still be heard in new bands today. The pull of nostalgia can be strong over time, but Cursive’s work has often felt like a rejection of those comfort zones; the band has continually pushed themselves, with frontman Tim Kasher’s artistic restlessness steering them ahead. In fact, for Kasher, whose pointed observations always begin with looking inward first, it was an interrogation of this voracious creativity that planted the seeds of Devourer.

"Devourer being filled to the brim thematically and musically is unsurprising considering Kasher wrote an astounding 69 compositions after songwriting began in the fall of 2020. About 20 made it to the practice space, with a curated 13 ending up on the final album. Wrangling it all at Omaha’s ARC Studios was Marc Jacob Hudson, who co-produced the album with the band after running live sound on Cursive’s recent tours. Hudson’s lengthy discography includes working with Against Me!, Thursday, and Fireworks, among others, but the musical touchstones he shares with Cursive sealed the deal. 'We just got along well and had this kind of shared music history that I found so comforting,' Kasher says. 'We were introduced to music in similar ways and, being the same age, share a musical knowledge. It was just so fun and refreshing.'

Now seven members strong ('We seem to be collecting band members over the years,' Kasher jokes), Cursive had a large musical toolbox to use on Devourer. Beyond the core trio of singer/guitarist Kasher, bassist Matt Maginn, and guitarist/vocalist Ted Stevens, there’s keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Newbery, cellist Megan Siebe, recording/touring drummer Pat Oakes, and founding drummer Clint Schnase (the two trade drumming duties across Devourer, but join forces for a two-pronged percussive force in 'Rookie'). While Cursive’s music hasn’t gotten any more comfortable, perhaps its being released into a world that’s at least a little more shaped in their image."

Cursive brings their tour to Davenport on December 21 with an addition set by the AJJ duo, admission to the 6 p.m. concert event is $52.90, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.