The Band Of Heathens is set to release their new album, described as “a celebration of two decades of staying true to their sound”. Self-produced with long-time collaborator Jim Vollentine (Spoon, Patty Griffin, White Denim), “Country Sides” promises to be a free-wheeling, greasy guitar-filled exercise in roots rock, packed with barroom piano rockers and soulful swaggering songs by all accounts. Founded twenty years ago this month by Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, their enduring creative partnership has, so far, produced nine albums and countless tours.
Gordy Quist notes, “We’re grateful to be 20 years into this and to have a fan base that has hopped on the creative journey with us wherever we have decided to turn. We’ve always felt like outsiders on an island, without the muscle of a major label, we just focused on making organic music that resonates with us”.
The album was tracked in just over a week at the band’s studio ‘The Finishing School’, and includes songs like the rocking ‘Take The Cake’, the contemplative ‘Pleasing People’ that explores the pitfalls of outside noise while remaining true to oneself. Free-wheeling ‘She’s The Night’ and anthemic ‘Lead Don’t Follow’, plus the single ‘High On Our Own Supply’ which you can listen to below. It’s an album celebrating self-reliance and life on the margins, underscoring the idea that what’s crafted with care at the edges often outshines what’s mass-produced at the centre.
“We’re in a really great space creatively after all these years,” Jurdi says. “The songs reflect both our inner world and the stories living between the lines of our lives”.
“Middle age has brought a new perspective into focus,” Quist says. “The passage of time, struggle, relationships, and love have all been themes in our writing for a while, but it’s interesting how they’ve taken another twist as we’ve taken stock of the band’s 20-year journey.”
Track Listing:
No Direction
High on Our Own Supply
She’s the Night
Lead Don’t Follow
Forever’s Not a Long Time
Finish Something I Started
Pleasing People
Good as I Can Be
Take the Cake
Just as Much
Letting Go
