Umphreys McGee returned to Chicagos intimate, 1,400-seat Vic Theatre Monday night to celebrate the release of Mantis, the bands first studio album since 2006. As previously reported, Umphreys shied away from playing any of Mantis tracks before the albums release with the exception of the lead single Made to Measure, which the group debuted on December 30. Despite being the official Mantis release party, the early portion of Umphreys set consisted of live staples like The Floor, Got Your Milk (Right Here), The Triple Wide and Nemo, as well as the second Made to Measure in three shows. The sextet then closed its set with catalogue songs such as Miss Tinkle’s Overture and Anchor Drops, before debuting Mantis second single, Cemetery Walk. After the lone encore of All In Time, the band treated fans in attendance to the studio version of Mantis in its entirety. Umphreys entire performance was also simulcast on 93.XRT.

Mantis was officially released today, January 20. The group will continue to debut its latest batch of songs at Ft. Collins, COs Aggie Theatre this coming Thursday. Please click here for a recent site interview with guitarist Jake Cinninger.