The Kills and King Gizzard. Cadillac Three and Circus Devils. Duran Duran and Divine Horsemen. Nirvana and Nobro. Prince and Black Pumas. Third Mind and Mayer Hawthorne. And the list goes on — if you can’t find a new release to rock your world in this lineup, you might as well throw in the towel. Let’s get ready to rumble:
Black Pumas
Chronicles Of A Diamond
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In creating the follow-up to one of the most celebrated debuts in recent years, Black Pumas made a point of tuning out any sense of anticipation from the outside world. “I knew the first record was good when we finished it, but I had no idea people would respond like they did,” says Adrian Quesada. “This time around there was a lot of pressure and expectation that we hadn’t felt before, which was overwhelming at times, but we did our best to tune that out and focus on trusting ourselves like we always have.” As a result, Chronicles Of A Diamond wholly echoes an essential intention behind its creation. “More than anything I wanted to make something we’d be thrilled to play live 200 days a year,” says Eric Burton. “I wanted to be able to laugh, cry, bob my head, do the thing: it was all very much a selfish endeavor.”
Sean Burns
Lost Country
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Friends, I’m proud to announce the release of my new record, Lost Country. Not unlike my previous theme records with my band (A Bakersfield Half-Dozen and We Gotta Lotta Truckin’ To Do, and to an extent our debut together, Music for Taverns, Bars and Honky-Tonks), we aimed to turn back the clock to play country music the way we love to hear it. Presented with passion and respect. and accompanied by a stellar group of veteran musicians, we’re updating the classic honky-tonk template with 10 tracks that pay tribute to many of Canada’s forgotten country music heroes, most of whom never became known outside of their home regions. I’m talking legit local legend, regional star status. This is my love letter to the regional record labels like Arc, Boot, Paragon/Marathon, Rodeo, Banff, etc. And it’s my greatest contribution to Canada’s cannon of country music.”
The Cadillac Three
The Years Go Fast
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sometimes change is so gradual that it barely registers, and sometimes it’s like slamming into a brick wall. Ask The Cadillac Three: in 2020 the Nashville trio of Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason and Kelby Ray released a pair of albums in Country Fuzz and Tabasco & Sweet Tea, then entered a season of dramatic upheaval that left them reeling. “We put out 31 songs in one year. It was like, let’s give people a breather. Let’s give us a breather,” Johnston says. “We were coming off Covid and then my dad passed away. It’s a whole different life now. Talk about having some shit to write about.” The ACM-nominated group’s sixth studio album, The Years Go Fast, is the product of coming through those trials and emerging on the other side — battle-scarred, a little older, a little wiser, and more willing to be vulnerable. It’s expansive in sound, reflective of the way The Cadillac Three continue to tinker with their swaggering brand of country-rock, but it still sounds like only the three of them can. “This record does have a lot of growth, a lot of hurt and heartbreak,” says Mason, the group’s drummer. “We are a little more grown up now, but we’re still doing the same thing we were doing in the beginning.”
Circus Devils
Squeeze The Needle
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A funhouse romp full of rock and roll swagger and childlike glee.
Divine Horsemen
Bitter End Of A Sweet Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The renaissance of Divine Horsemen — which began in 2021 with the release of Hot Rise Of An Ice Cream Phoenix, the legendary L.A. band’s first release in 33 years — continues with Bitter End Of A Sweet Night. The new 16-track collection again features the band’s co-founding members, singers-songwriters Chris Desjardins (better known as Chris D.) and Julie Christensen, and the core members of the ferocious Hot Rise band — guitarist/co-writer Peter Andrus (a member of the group’s late-’80s lineup), bassist Bobby Permanent and X’s nonpareil drummer DJ Bonebrake. The sound is filled out by Green On Red and Dream Syndicate keyboardist Chris Cacavas (who appeared on the 1984 Chris D./Divine Horsemen album Time Stands Still) and classically trained violinist Elizabeth Wilson. Desjardins produced the album.”
Duran Duran
Danse Macabre
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Catalyzed by one special live performance that Duran Duran filmed in Las Vegas on Oct. 31 of 2022, Danse Macabre is the soundtrack to their ultimate Halloween party. Across 13 tracks the band unearth bright melodies from the darkness, threading together new songs, themed covers, and newly reimagined versions of their own ‘spooky’ classics. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes said: “The song Danse Macabre celebrates the joy and madness of Halloween. It is the title track of our album, which gathers together an unusual mix of cover versions, reworked Duran Duran songs and several new compositions. The idea was born out of a show we played… We had decided to seize the moment to create a unique, special event. The temptation of using glorious gothic visuals set to a dark soundtrack of horror and humor was simply irresistible. Simon Le Bon elaborates: “It’s about a crazy Halloween party. It’s supposed to be fun!” John Taylor said: “After all these years, Danse Macabre offers an interesting insight into the personality of the band. The music packs a real punch.” Roger Taylor adds: “I hope you take a journey with us through the darker side of our inspirations into where we’re at in 2023. Maybe, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how Duran Duran got to this moment in time.”
Robert Finley
Black Bayou
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A song should tell a good story,” says Robert Finley. “By the time you hear it beginning to end, it should be like reading a short story or a novel. It should be more than just a laugh. It should leave some kind of impression on whoever’s listening to it. And it should stay as close to the truth as possible.” He’s a masterful storyteller, and Black Bayou has the richness of detail, the depth of character, the tragedy of betrayal, the promise of forgiveness — in short, the immense complexity of emotion and humanity — that defines great southern literature. Finley recorded it at producer Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. It’s the fourth time the duo have worked together, although for this record they did things a little differently. Rather than write songs beforehand, they devised everything in the studio, with Auerbach leading a band of some of the finest players around: Drummers Patrick Carney and Jeffrey Clemens, bassist Eric Deaton, guitarist Kenny Brown, and vocalists Christy Johnson and LaQuindrelyn McMahon — who just happen to be Finley’s daughter and granddaughter. They worked quickly, devising their parts spontaneously and usually getting everything in one take. “I started singing, and they started playing,” Finley explains. “That’s how we made the album. It wasn’t written out. Nobody used a pencil and paper. We just sang and played together in the studio.”
The Gaslight Anthem
History Books
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Like so many of the most essential rock bands, The Gaslight Anthem have a rare gift for finding glory in the inescapable pain of being alive. On their new album History Books — their first new music in over nine years — the New Jersey-bred four-piece bring their soulful breed of punk to ten thrilling songs exploring everything from mortality to mental illness to the more precarious dimensions of human connection. In the tradition of their seminal sophomore album The ’59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem’s sixth full-length ultimately achieves the tremendous feat of hitting every raw nerve while endlessly inspiring wildly triumphant singing-along. “A lot of this record is questioning all the bad stuff we see in the world and the difficult things we go through in life, and asking how to deal with it,” says vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon, whose bandmates include drummer Benny Horowitz, bassist Alex Levine and lead guitarist Alex Rosamilia. “I think the answer is that we’re all in this together and that somehow makes it OK, even when it’s anything but easy. The main message of the album is empathy.”
Mayer Hawthorne
For All Time
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mayer Hawthorne cut his teeth in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he started making beats and DJing at the height of Detroit hip-hop. Since his debut heart-shaped single Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out dropped in 2008, Hawthorne has released four LPs, raking in accolades from esteemed publications and capturing the hearts of critics and fans alike. Your favourite artist’s favourite artist, Hawthorne opened for Amy Winehouse on her tragic final tour and served as direct support for Bruno Mars twice. He crafted modern yacht-rock jams with Pharrell poolside in Miami and John Mayer called his debut the “album of the year.” His songs have soundtracked episodes of Girls, Ugly Betty, and is the only non-Kanye song in the Spike Jonze short film We Were Once A Fairytale. Hawthorne has written and produced the lion’s share of his catalog, and apart from his solo work, he collaborates with producer Jake One on their boogie funk super-group Tuxedo, which is now three albums and multiple world tours deep.”
The Kills
God Games
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Whether we look for him or not, we all find God somewhere. It could be in nature. It could be in church. It could be in the metaverse. It differs for each and every one of us. In terms of where God might be, The Kills aren’t necessarily saying, but the duo — Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince — certainly sound like they’ve seen him. How else could you explain the primal call-and-response between Alison’s full body blues-soul vocal catharsis and Jamie’s swaggering, guillotine-smooth guitar transmissions on the duo’s sixth full-length offering, God Games? Stretching boundaries, Jamie encouraged Alison to “buy this $100 keyboard and try to write.” She added another creative tool to her arsenal, while he tinkered with textures, sounds and “wrote on guitar less than ever,” opting to primarily compose on piano for the first time. This powerful combination of forces gave the album its own sonic identity, a new path forged in the pair’s creative bond.”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
The Silver Cord
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Silver Cord, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s 25th studio album is a full-hearted and purposeful embrace of electronic equipment and electronic music in its own right. The Silver Cord comes in two iterations; The single-LP standard edition is a shorter, more condensed version, where the two-LP extended mix sees every song pushed toward the 10min mark and beyond.”
The Mountain Goats
Jenny From Thebes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Mountain Goats’ catalog is thick with recurring characters— Jenny, who originally appears in the All Hail West Texas track bearing her name, as well as in Straight Six from Jam Eater Blues and Transcendental Youth Side 2 jam Night Light, is one of these, someone who enters a song unexpectedly, pricking up the ears of fans who are keen on continuing the various narrative threads running through The Mountain Goats’ discography before vanishing into the mist. In these songs, Jenny is largely defined by her absence, and she is given that definition by other characters. She is running from something. These features are beguiling, both to the characters who’ve told her story so far and to the listener. They invite certain questions: Who is Jenny, really? What is she running from? Well, she’s a warrior and a thief, and, this being an album by The Mountain Goats, it’s a safe bet whatever she’s fleeing is something bad. Something catastrophically bad. Jenny From Thebes is the story of Jenny, her southwestern ranch style house, the people for whom that house is a place of safety, and the west Texas town that is uncomfortable with its existence. It is a story about the individual and society, about safety and shelter and those who choose to provide care when nobody else will.”
Nirvana
In Utero 30th Anniversary Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To say that Nirvana’s third and ultimately final studio album In Utero was one of the most impactful records of the modern era would be an understatement. Originally released Sept. 21, 1993, In Utero’s unadorned sonic rawness was received by critics and fans with equal measures of shock and elation, as Steve Albini’s recording laid bare every primal nuance of the most confrontational yet vulnerable material Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl would ever record. And with its 1991 predecessor Nevermind having sold some 30 million copies and causing a seismic pop cultural shift, In Utero was essentially the first record Nirvana would make with any expectations from the public. So from the opening quasi-shamble melodics of Serve The Servants through the bittersweet closing strains of All Apologies, In Utero was the sound of the most incredible yet conflicted musical force of the era at the peak of its powers coming to terms with a generational spokes-band mantle they’d never seen coming — and ultimately surmounting these struggles to make the record they needed to make. This Super Deluxe Edition includes 53 previously unreleased tracks, including two full In Utero-era concerts in Los Angeles and Seattle, live tracks from Rome, Springfield and New York, and five bonus studio tracks and B-sides.”
Nobro
Set Your Pussy Free
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal modern-punk outfit Nobro’s debut full-length record Set Your Pussy Free is a caustic, celebratory, glorious party-punk firework show. Produced by Dave Schiffman (Pup, Rage Against The Machine), it’s a record about the ecstatic pursuit of personal escape and liberation even as the walls are closing in, a 21st century power-punk analog of Born To Run that rages against modern life’s restrictive pressures and dares them to a game of chicken. If a hurricane is bearing down on Nobro, they’re spitting into it, arm-in-arm, with middle fingers raised. Kathryn McCaughey (vocals/bass), Karolane Carbonneau (guitars), Lisandre Bourdages (keys/percussion), and Sarah Dion (drums) make clear that they aren’t interested in playing by whatever rules have been set around them. They were playing a show the day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to access an abortion in the country. The four women were shaken and furious, but that night McCaughey led a righteous toast against the decision: “This next song is dedicated to setting our vaginas free!”
Prince
Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Diamonds And Pearls is the 13th studio album by Prince, and was the first with his new backing band, The New Power Generation. Featuring six massive international singles, including the hits Gett Off, Cream and the iconic title track, the album was a worldwide smash reaching multi-platinum status in the U.S. and the U.K., where it remains his best-selling album. For this reissue, the classic album has been remastered for the very first time, and joined by 47 previously unreleased tracks, as well as a previously unreleased two-plus hours of video concert performances from Prince’s legendary vault. Following the successful release of the 1999 Super Deluxe Edition (2019) and Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition (2020), the Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition represents the third deep dive into Prince’s vault.”
Superchunk
Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-sides & Strays 2007–2023
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-sides & Strays 2007–2023 is Superchunk’s fourth singles compilation, a massive 4-LP or 2-CD collection covering their triumphant return from hiatus up to 2023. The amount of music within its gorgeous packaging is staggering: 50 songs (16 of which are on physical media for the first time) sourced from out-of-print releases, digital singles, compilations, and more — a vital piece of the Superchunk canon. In the tradition of previous singles compilations, Misfits & Mistakes houses non-album tracks, demos, and cover songs culled from 7″ singles, compilations, and previously Internet-exclusive artifacts. Featuring extensive liner notes by Mac McCaughan (with additional notes from Laura Ballance), the collection tells the story of each release, from why they chose to cover songs by The Misfits, The Cure, Destiny’s Child and Bananarama, to working with collaborators like Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s), Eleanor Friedberger, Damian Abraham (Fucked Up), Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub), and more!”
The Third Mind
The Third Mind 2
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Starting four years ago as a wishful music fantasy, The Third Mind has now become a powerful and thrilling sonic reality. This same cast of like-minded musicians who recorded that first album, return for The Third Mind 2. Since the inception by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter/guitarist Dave Alvin on electric guitar and Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker) on bass, they gleaned drummer Michael Jerome (Richard Thompson, John Cale) and guitarist David Immerglück (Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven). The Third Mind’s sound reflects the band members’ varied collective musical histories with part emotionally dark folk/rock combo, part abstract blues outfit, part moody psychedelic garage band, part avant-garde jazz ensemble and part brash alternative rock ’n’ roll mischief makers.”
Trans-Canada Highwaymen
Explosive Hits Vol. 1
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian supergroup Trans-Canada Highwaymen’s new album features Canadian classics from 1969-1975. The 14-track recording pays homage to the great K-Tel compilations of the 1970s. The TCH lineup includes four singer-songwriters who have all written songs that have contributed to Canadian culture: Sloan bassist Chris Murphy, Odds guitarist Craig Northey, former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page, and The Pursuit of Happiness’s Moe Berg who join force once again to deliver their unique take on the best of Canadian rock! On this album, you’ll hear Steven sing Undun (The Guess Who), Rock Me Gently (Andy Kim) and (I Believe) There’s Nothing Stronger Than Our Love (Paul Anka). You’ll hear Craig sing Tonite is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love (April Wine), Make My Life A Little Bit Brighter (Chester), Heartbeat, It’s A Lovebeat (The DeFranco Family) and Can’t Catch Me (Bim). You’ll hear Chris sing Lovin’ You Ain‘t Easy (Michel Pagliaro), Which Way You Goin’ Billy? (The Poppy Family) and Carry Me (The Stampeders). You’ll hear Moe sing Pretty Lady (Lighthouse), Raised On Robbery (Joni Mitchell) and You, Me and Mexico (Edward Bear).”
The Wind Ups
Happy Like This
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Are you happy like this?” Purveyors of raw power-pop and punk, The Wind-Ups may or may not be curious to know. Since the release of their 2021 debut Try Not To Think, the Northern California bedroom-project-turned-touring outfit has gained the reputation of a lights-out live band, emulating the same breakneck pace of the record. And you are damn sure to find that same frenetic combustion on their second LP, Happy Like This. Produced in identical fashion to the first album, Happy Like This finds frontman Jake Sprecher once again in his comfort zone — writing, performing, recording and mixing the entire record himself from the backyard confines of his home in the college town of Chico. Still slamming ¼” tape into the red, you’ll hear many-a blistering hook and, along with plenty of odd-measure pushers.”
