Pitchfork

New Zealand trio the Ruby Suns (formerly Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns) already trot the globe in sound, and with their recent signing to Sub Pop, they'll travel it in terms of actual releases. Their vessel: Sea Lion, the follow-up to their self-titled debut from 2006.

Sea Lion covers "musical styles from African and Polynesian folk music to flamenco, from '80s synth pop to Disney movie soundtracks," according to a press release. Like The Ruby Suns, the sophomore set will come out in the UK and Ireland on Memphis Industries (on March 3). Meanwhile, Sub Pop will take care of North America on March 4.

Our first taste of Sea Lion is "Tane Mahuta", located at the link below. It's an ode to the Waipoua forest near Auckland, New Zealand sung in Maori, and there's a video for the track soon to come.

To warm us up for the album's release, the Ruby Suns will play a series of shows in Australia and New Zealand in January and February.

Sea Lion:

01 Blue Penguin
02 Oh, Mojave
03 Tane Mahuta
04 There Are Birds
05 It's Mwangi in Front of Me
06 Remember
07 Ole Rinka
08 Adventure Tour
09 Kenya Dig It?
10 Morning Sun

Sun-dates:

01-25 Christchurch, New Zealand - Al's Bar
01-26 Dunedin, New Zealand - Backstage
02-01 Wellington, New Zealand - San Francisco Bathhouse
02-08 Auckland, New Zealand - Kings Arms
02-13 Melbourne, Australia - Northcote Social Club
02-14 Melbourne, Australia - Pogo
02-15 Darlinghurst, Australia - Spectrum
02-16 Fortitude Valley, Australia - Ric's Bar