Christchurch Husband-and-wife Duo Terrible Sons Announce First Tour This April

"Mass is a stark, quiet collection of deeply romantic songs that hark back to the sweeping indie glory of Kings of Convenience and Feist. It’s the kind of music that feels destined to soundtrack the idiosyncratic indie cinema of the mid-2000s. It’s luscious, organic and so, so intimate.” - Tone Deaf

“Terrible Sons craft songs like complex beautiful dioramas constructed from the emotional stuff of life.” - American Pancake

“Terrible Sons makes music that’s quite tender, almost fragile. It's steeped in folk traditions and sometimes, like on their song ‘What a Friend’, it's quite breathtaking." - RNZ's Tony Stamp, The Sampler

Christchurch husband-and-wife duo Terrible Sons are on tour for the first time this April, celebrating the release of their stunning new EP Mass. The five shows will see their lush, indie-folk paired with Wellington dream-pop group French For Rabbits for a series of South Island shows in Nelson, Blenheim, and Onekaka, before two headline events in Auckland and Ōtautahi. 

Terrible Sons is the music project of former Dukes frontman, Matthew Barus and Lauren Barus, who has performed as L A Mitchell and in Fly My Pretties. They released their much-anticipated third EP Mass in February this year produced by Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins). Having clocked up over 18 million streams on previous singles since 2018, it may come as a surprise that the quietly accomplished band from Christchurch, signed to Canadian label Nettwerk, has never played a single live show outside of their hometown. 

Both Lauren and Matt are relishing the thought of bringing Terrible Sons to audiences across Aotearoa next month. "We both have a history of performing a lot under other musical names so bringing Terrible Sons out feels jubilant," says Lauren. "Being face to face with an audience has always been magical, and we are looking forward to making music, sharing stories and being together with others." 

The pair are "travelling light" for what's set to be rich and intimate performances, much like their songs, with acoustic guitar, piano, and the duo's harmonious voices at the forefront. "It's just the two of us playing in the way we know best, piano and acoustic guitar and our two voices, the way we play in our living room after the kids have gone to sleep," says Matt. "I think you could expect a night of warmth, laughter and hopefully something moving." 

Find Terrible Sons tour tickets, merch, and listening, here. 

South Island Shows with French for Rabbits 
Thursday, April 8th - Nelson, Fairfield House  
Friday, April 9th - Blenheim, The Plant  
Saturday, April 10th - Onekaka, Mussel Inn
 
Headline Shows 
Saturday, April 17th - Auckland, Freida Margolis w/ Rodney Fisher
Friday, April 23rd - Christchurch, The Piano w/ special guests *early bird special $20 until March 25th*

Tickets on sale at Undertheradar.co.nz

Terrible Sons is the moniker for husband/wife duo Matthew Barus (Dukes) and Lauren Barus (Fly My Pretties), who work and live with their two children in an intentional community near Christchurch. While the music they’ve made in the past has reflected the intimate and bucolic warmth that wraps around their family, Terrible Sons has never shied away from revealing the more vulnerable feelings that define us all: heartbreak, loneliness, exhaustion.

It’s clear from the start that an evolution has taken place with their new EP Mass. From taking cues from folk tradition by singing their own version of a protest song to involving each other in their writing processes early on, Mass establishes a stronger connection between Terrible Sons and the world at large, while also signifying a more cohesive sound thanks to their more connected writing partnership. Producer Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins) took the organic, analog, and acoustic sounds Terrible Sons are known for, and warped them to a perfect degree of idiosyncrasy — harmonies were played in reverse and stacked, brass and organ made appearances, and layers of percussion were added for a louder, more dynamic rhythmic texture. 

Mass was made in true collaborative spirit, between friends and family, and it comes at a time when collectivity has never been more relevant. At its core, Mass is about resilience, about making your voice heard, even if it seems the world isn’t listening. 

© Scoop Media