Official press release:
Following three European tours in 2016 alone, Nashville-based psych-rock quartet All Them Witches will return with their new album Sleeping Through The War via New West Records on February 24th, 2017.
Lead single “Bruce Lee” is a perfect distillation of their aesthetic – whirlwind guitars, way out vocals and propulsive rhythms that recall Springsteen’s late-night power drives as much as they do Kyuss riding into the blood-red sunset. Speaking of the new video, director Jason Staebler adds:
“‘Bruce Lee’ is about anxiety taking hold of and following you indiscriminately. The video is meant to represent that idea, the consuming nature of your worries, and the magnification of them in your mind. The creature in pursuit is the personification of your anxiety, who can overcome and control your fate if you let it.”
Sleeping Through The War was produced by Grammy Awarding winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and follows the band’s acclaimed Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, released last year. The fundamental laws that govern Sleeping Through The War are the same that have made All Them Witches a cult favourite. Big fuzz, deep grooves, cosmic vision. But years of jamming their way across America, and three European tours through 2016 – recently selling out London’s Scala, have made their song craft more dynamic, more responsive, and years of psychic interactions between band members has lead them into a headier sonic space.
The band’s sound on Sleeping Through The War has become so expansive, you can hear echoes of Dr. John’s Gris-Gris, the glacial expanses of Sigur Ros, the stoner sludge of Kyuss, and the meditative om of the East. Guitarist Ben McLeod says:
“We wrote it in about six days. Where in the past we would have just gone ahead and written and recorded in the studio, we were like nah we’re going to do it with Dave, let’s be prepared. It was real minimal; Dave didn’t want us to get too crazy. We wanted a record you could crank. And we wanted girl backup singers.”
It might seem like an odd detail, the appearance of the Nashville songstress’s Caitlin Rose, Erin Rae, and Tristen on backing vocals add a classic rock flourish, at odds with their own work, but it makes sense within the context of the songs and within the context of their career. All Them Witches are at their Ummagumma moment, their Bare Trees, their Tres Hombres. Singer/bassist Charles Michael Parks offered:
“We’re trying to get to something better – not necessarily just as musicians – but as people. I’ve always said that as we change as people, our music changes, that’s why we can never make the same records. I can’t be in one of those bands. I hope you’ll never hear another predictable album from All Them Witches. There’s no art in that.”
All Them Witches have also announced their initial North American tour dates in support of Sleeping Through The War. The tour kicks off in Nashville on February 24th and tickets are on sale now.
Sleeping Through The War will be available digitally, on compact disc, and LP and is now available for pre-order here.
Sleeping Through The War track listing:
1. “Bulls”
2. “Don’t Bring Me Coffee”
3. “Bruce Lee”
4. “3-5-7”
5. “Am I Going Up”
6. “Alabaster”
7. “Cowboy Kirk”
8. “Internet”
All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr. – vocals/bass
Ben McLeod – guitar
Allan Van Cleave – keys
Robby Staebler – drums
Tour dates:
2/24 – Nashville, TN | Exit/In
3/03 – Winston-Salem, NC | The Garage
3/04 – Winston-Salem, NC | The Garage
3/05 – Carrboro, NC | Cat’s Cradle Back Room
3/07 – Washington, DC | DC9
3/09 – Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda’s
3/10 – New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom
3/11 – Cambridge, MA | The Sinclair
3/12 – Montreal, QC | Bar Le Ritz
3/14 – Toronto, ON | Horseshoe Tavern
3/15 – Ferndale, MI | Magic Bag
3/16 – Chicago, IL | The Empty Bottle
3/17 – St. Paul, MN | Turf Club
3/18 – Madison, WI | High Noon Saloon
3/19 – Grand Rapids, MI | Founders Brewing Company