Bass Drum Of Death share new rock'n'roll stomper "Head Change". Album 'Say I Won't' out Jan 27 on Fat Possum.
Following a string of riotous UK dates with The Lemonheads & inciting a mosh pit at Rough Trade East last month, today Bass Drum Of Death share another new track from their forthcoming album, 'Say I Won't', which is set to be released on January 27th via Fat PossumRecords.
After the mid-tempo bruiser "Say Your Prayers", featuring Royal Blood's Mike Kerr, and the high-octane "Find It", today they nod to the classic rock greats with the Zepplin-esque "Head Change". Band leader John Barrett comments:
"With ‘Head Change’, we kind of wanted a mid-tempo psych stomper, and really didn’t change a whole lot from the demo. We added the dueling guitar bridge in the studio spur of the moment, and it ended up being one of my favorite parts on the whole record."
‘Say I Won’t’, the band’s fifth record, comes at a time of massive change for Barrett, having relocated from New York to his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi during the pandemic. The record is also a homecoming of a different sort, with the band rejoining the ranks of Fat Possum, also in Oxford, the label that released their first record ‘GB City’ in 2011.
“Moving back to Oxford was a much-needed reset,”
says Barrett.
“When I started, I just wanted to play in a punk band and drink beers and travel around. I didn’t really think much past that. And I got really burned out. When I moved back home, I started writing songs again, just for fun. I realized I wanted this record to have more of a hometown feel.
The switch back to Fat Possum was easy. It’s much better working with people I know and love and love everything they do.”
‘Say I Won’t ‘is the first Bass Drum of Death album written, demoed, and recorded with the touring band instead of Barrett doing everything on his own. He found a freedom in working with collaborators that wasn’t available to him before, opening different aspects of the songwriting. It was a process of live recording, layering on different parts and overdubs, and then stripping it all back to the bones of the song, keeping the raw wild heart of the music intact.
The band recorded the new record with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys at Audio Eagle Studios in Nashville and the result is a groove-oriented, 1970’s-indebted collection of rock songs, with tempos set for cruising and scuzzy guitars galore. There’s an energy and vitality to the music that feels in line with the best of the Bass Drum songs, but with an added boost that comes from new bandmates and a new perspective.
‘Say I Won’t’ finds a reinvigorated Barrett firing at all cylinders, backed by his best band yet. It’s Bass Drum of Death at their loosest and scuzziest and most tuneful, a true rock record in all the right ways. It’s a throwback by way of moving forward, sporting a maturity and swagger that comes from a decade of playing music on the road and surviving to tell about it. More than anything, ‘Say I Won’t’ is a blast to listen to, music built for driving with your stereo cranked.
“I had to relearn that making music is fucking fun, and you should have fun doing it. If it’s miserable, what’s the point?” He laughs. “But man, when a song hits, it’s the best feeling in the world. That’s what this record is about. Getting back to that good place and staying there.”
says Barrett.
Photo credit: Steve Gullick
Tour Dates:
November 30, 2022 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room ^
December 1, 2022 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues *
December 2, 2022 - Santa Ana, CA - Observatory *
December 3, 2022 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues *
December 4, 2022 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex *
December 5, 2022 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
December 7, 2022 - Kansas City, MO - Madrid Theatre *
December 8, 2022 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle ^
December 9, 2022 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave *
* supporting The Lemonheads
^ headline show