While, undoubtedly, many listeners were first introduced to Portugal. The Man after the gargantuan (and, if you’d been following their career, somewhat unexpected) mainstream success of their eighth album Woodstock eight years ago, those who’ve had an eye on the group since their early days know that that’s just one of the many artistic incarnations they’ve embodied over the years, and only sums up a piece of what the eclectic rockers have achieved. Hailing originally from Wasilla, Alaska, though based in Portland throughout their entire career, the band’s roots trace back to short-lived but beloved emo and post-hardcore outfit Anatomy of a Ghost, with frontman John Gourley and bassist Zachary Carothers going on to form PTM as a side project, and then full-time focus after their prior group disbanded in 2004. Adopting elements of emo, indie, math and progressive rock, Portugal’s debut could’ve been a continuation of Anatomy of a Ghost, and in those early years they tended to tour with acts in the post-hardcore and indie scene they were already apart of, but, across a prolific string of LPs throughout the ’00s, the band began to drift towards a more experimental and psychedelic style of rock and pop, attracting early underground success for efforts like 2007’s Church Mouth, and beginning to garner more mainstream attention by 2009 fourth album, The Satanic Satanist.
After inking a major label deal, the rockers graduated to playing bigger shows and fests by the 2010s, and working with more prominent producers, eventually teaming up with Danger Mouse for their 2013 seventh album Evil Friends, a progressive and critically-acclaimed effort which cemented their status as a lasting new force in rock. After releasing an album nearly every year, the road to Woodstock felt like an eternity, and one which saw false starts, wholly abandoned albums, and a ton of huge producers in the mix, like Beastie Boys’ Mike D. Finally arriving in 2017, and the group’s most pop friendly record to date, that album shot Portugal to new heights, with breakout single “Feel It Still” becoming one of the most inescapable hits of that year. It would be a whopping six years (which featured tons of larger-scale touring, festival appearances, and, of course, a pause due to the pandemic) before a followup, ninth LP Chris Black Changed My Life, which arrived in 2023, and honored a late friend of the band who had passed away a few years prior. More melancholy and introspective, the record served as something as a bridge between the band’s psych-pop middle period, and the more commercial production of the breakout record prior.
Though PTM’s tenth album, SHISH, which dropped last week, arrives just two years later, it comes on the heels of some of the most significant changes the band has ever faced. Many core members, including bassist, co-founder, and, along with John Gourley, longest-serving member, Zach Carothers, departed between albums, leaving Gourley as the primary creative force (only Gourley’s wife, backing vocalist and percussionist Zoe Manville, also remains from the group’s prior lineup, filled out by new live players, including guitarist Nick Reinhart, who played with the band a couple years a decade ago). And, after almost 15 years and four major label albums with Atlantic, the band have gone back to an indie label: Nashville’s own Thirty Tigers. The result is one of the best, most uninhibited records PTM has made in years, with Gourley channeling his Alaskan upbringing for the album’s title and ethos, and really leaning into the quirkier, heavier, more experimental psychedelia of Portugal’s earlier work.
One of our favorite live bands of all time, who we’ve seen play some absolutely mind-blowing shows over the years, Portugal. The Man will return to area on Dec. 7, for a very special underground performance at The Caverns in nearby Pelham. Fellow Pacific Northwestern indie rockers La Luz will support, and tickets and camping packages are still available to purchase right here! Or, if you’d like to try your luck, we’re also thrilled to announce that we’re giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky fan. As we feel inclined to mention any time we tell you about a show at The Caverns, this venue is one of the most unparalleled concert experiences you can have anywhere, hosting performances underground in a literal cave (see below), and we think it’s always worth the trek from Nashville anytime an artist we love is on the calendar. Preview the lineup and enter to win below!
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Portugal. The Man and La Luz will perform Sunday, Dec. 7 at The Caverns in Pelham, TN. The show is all ages, begins at 6 p.m. (doors at 5 p.m.), and tickets and camping passes are available to purchase here.