After releasing two albums in two years, New Orleans trio The Tomatoes hopes to have a breakout album with “Divisionism,” which is slated for release this fall. “That would be nice if it were our breakthrough,” said lead singer/guitarist Will Burdette, noting the band has let some “respected musicians listen to it, and their response has been great.” The Tomatoes will return to Baton Rouge for a show tonight at 9 p.m. at Northgate Tavern. The band’s sophomore album, “Trendy,” was a grab bag of songs, but Burdette said the new album “defines The Tomatoes.” Burdette said the second disc was pigeonholed into a concept album because of the self-mocking title and amount of featured pop songs. Divisionism, the album’s title, is a painting style that is also known as pointillism, where small dots of color form a bigger portrait. Burdette applied the neoimpressionist painting theory to the album. “I started thinking about that style in the context of the songs and our band,” Burdette said. “And it made sense. The album is full of individual pieces that make up this bigger portrait, but it’s also about how the band is coming together, making a more complete sound.” Though Burdette feels the band has sonically bloomed, he thinks fans of the older albums might have a hard time transitioning with the band. Unlike older albums, “Divisionism” is a “grower,” an album that evokes skepticism at first but settles in after repeated listens. “The people that liked ‘Trendy,’ will have to listen to ‘Divisionism’ a couple of times. It’s not as poppy,” Burdette said. “It’s a little heavier and dirty. People might think the album sounds like The Tomatoes on pills.” Fans’ expectations aside, Burdette believes the band is headed in the right direction. “This new album is the closest thing to an album in the true sense. It has a maturity about it,” Burdette said. “We’ve settled into an area, and it’s the right place.” For the new album, The Tomatoes have traded the bumping Breeders-like pop of “I Gotta Dance” for the scathing guitar lines of the new single “Vendetta.” “We like to change with every record,” said Burdette, noting the genius of bands such as Wilco who are able to change styles with every album. That song, along with the rest of the tracks from the new album, was written in a two-week period after “Trendy” was released. After Burdette’s writing burst, the band locked itself up, recording most of the new material in bassist George Ortalano’s studio The Fallout Shelter. “It’s this bombed out, concrete building in the middle of Metairie,” Burdette said. Though the band has kept the ball rolling, recording new material as soon as Burdette is finished with the lyrics, touring has been the lower back pain of the rock ‘n’ roll monster. The band members claim they will only play Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, New York City, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas. Burdette said it is not cost effective for the band to embark on full tours. “It’s hard for an independent band to tour and make money,” Burdette said. “That’s the shitty business side of being in a band. We want to get in a van and tour, but booking agents barely give you enough, if any, money to get from place to place.” Though gas prices might be relegating the band to play only in certain areas, Burdette still loves performing live music. “It’s why you are in a band,” Burdette said. “You get to present your music.”
—-Contact Matthew Sigur at [email protected]