Tag: New music

Lord Buffalo: Holus Bolus Album by Austin Psychedelic-Americana Band

Lord Buffalo’s new album Holus Bolus will be released July 12, 2024. Photo: Metal Injection

Austin heavy psychedelic-Americana band Lord Buffalo recently released a new single from their forthcoming album Holus Bolus. CvltNation shares “I Wait on The Door Slab” single HERE. Also now streaming on Bandcamp and all DSPs HERE. (US/THEM Group, 2024)

Metal Injection previously launched the title track and official video for “Holus Bolus” HERE.

Lord Buffalo is Daniel Pruitt (guitar, bass, piano, vocals, melodica), Garrett Hellman (guitar, sub-bass, piano, synths), Patrick Patterson (violin), and Yamal Said (drums, percussion).

Lord Buffalo is heavy in the way that ghosts are heavy… in the way that billowing dust is heavy.

That is to say, the Austin, TX Psych-Americana band’s music impacts hard, though it seems impossible to touch. Their sound flows through us, it doesn’t invite the Pavlovian response of typical heavy rock music

Perhaps it’s fitting then that their new album Holus Bolus takes its name from an antiquated term meaning “all at once.” It materializes instantly from the first notes of the opening title track, like a dark grey haze drawing listeners in with the band’s deft juxtapositions of droning violin, guitars, drums and vocals. It draws equally from Morricone and Badalementi as from Sabbath and Swans.

While the quartet trudges the same murky waters as dark emotive brethren David Eugene Edwards/Woven Hand, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Earth/Dylan Carlson, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Nick Cave, their creative interplay of Middle Eastern influence with a distinctly Western feel takes listeners in entirely new directions as the album envelops them. Holus Bolus was recorded by Danny Reisch and Max Lorenzen at Good Danny’s in Lockhart, TX. Mixed by Danny Reisch. Mastered by Max Lorenzen.

“While the making of this record feels a bit like a sleep-deprived hallucination to me. Listening to it now, I find it strangely hopeful — there’s a kind of release that you hit in exhaustion. I think the record knew what it was after, even if we didn’t. It felt very much like the record just appeared one day, holus bolus.” – Daniel Pruitt

Holus Bolus will be available worldwide on vinyl, CD, and digital via Blues Funeral Recordings on July 12, 2024. Pre-order HERE.

Artist: Lord Buffalo
Album: Holus Bolus
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Release Date: July 12, 2024

Courtesy album photo, used with permission

Holus Bolus

Slow Drug

Passing Joy

Malpaisano

I Wait on the Door Slab

Cracks in the Vermeer

Rowing in Eden

“Known for their atmospheric spin on folk-rock, at times sounding like the Anthology of American Folk Music beamed from outer space.” — NPR Music

“A dusky, moody, roots-quaking disc of tension and release.” — Austin Chronicle

“Lord Buffalo masterfully mixes straightforward, stoner-tinged rock with more violin-driven post-rock tones into one beautifully captivating sound that everyone should be familiar with.” — Metal Injection

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New single release: Kick It – flor

flor doesn’t care much what you think of them on their new single ‘Kick It.’ Courtesy single artwork, used with permission.

First Hood River, Oregon’s, now the world’s alt-pop darlings, flor, released their newest single this month –  “Kick It.” A fuzzed out, knobs dialed all the way up type of track, “Kick It” tells judgmental onlookers to shove it and be on their way. A more confident, provocative take from flor, the band continues showing their vast songwriting range as they explore the joy of their newfound creative independence. (Big Hassle Media, 2024)

flor finds light in the promise of a new day. The Hood River, OR trio—Zach Grace (vocals, guitar), Dylan Bauld (bass), and Kyle Hill (drums)—excavate unshakable melodies from jubilant synths, buoyant beats, and lush guitars as they relay a coming-of-age story all their own.

The story began as high school kids playing in a garage. The band quietly generated hundreds of millions of streams in the wake of their 2016 debut come out. you’re hiding. In 2019, ley lines only accelerated their momentum buoyed by tracks including “white noise,” “slow motion,” and “dancing around.” Critical acclaim followed from NYLON, Billboard, Paste, and Ones To Watch who hailed the album as “an exhilarating balancing act.”

They concluded a successful headline tour at the top of 2020 only to face the harsh reality of the Global Pandemic with the rest of us. Once it became safe enough to do so, the musicians congregated back in Los Angeles at Dylan’s studio for a series of writing sessions. This time around, they built the bulk of the songs face-to-face together inspired by favorite records from the likes of MGMT, Phoenix, The Killers, and M83. The result was their 2022 third full-length album, Future Shine which won over the praise of Rolling Stone, AltPress, and many others.

After taking some time to evaluate who they want to be creatively, flor is now back and more refreshed than they’ve ever been. The end of last year saw the release of “Same Color as the Sun” as the band joined The Maine for a massive North American tour.

Last month, flor starred in The Noise’s first episode of their new video series titled Something Loud. Filmed in Los Angeles – with the help from Betawave Media – flor performed their singles “Every Night,” “Warm Blood Pt 2,” “No More Time,” and “Gotta Do Something” to showcase what “loud” means to them.

Regularly releasing new singles to keep their fanbase fed, the last few months have seen flor unveil “Same Color as the Sun,” “Warm Blood Pt 2” and “Nosedive.” “Same Color as the Sun” quickly gained traction at Triple A radio and continues to chart higher week after week. “Warm Blood Pt 2” also arrived with an official video. With the song’s precursor dating back to their 2016 debut album come out. you’re hiding, part two wasn’t initially created as a follow up. But as the band began writing with the intent of creating something as rapturous as the original, things started to fall in place.

The end of 2023 also saw flor join their friends in The Maine for a massive North American tour, selling out almost every single date. Over the coming months, flor will continue to ride their current wave of inspiration with more new music on the way.

New single release: Relief – Gus Baldwin & The Sketch

Gus Baldwin shares new single and launches Western US tour. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Austin Power Punk artist Gus Baldwin is a 25-year-old singer/songwriter/ex-hippie/part-time punk hailing from Austin, TX. After a stint holding down drums for Dallas surf punk legends Sealion in high school, Baldwin went on to form the Psych Pop combo Acid Carousel, which he led for 6 years and 20 something releases before departing the band on Halloween night 2021. He shares the official video for his new single Relief via Austin Town Hall. (US/THEM group, 2024)

Since leaving Carousel, Gus has made a name for himself as a solo artist in Austin, constantly performing as a singer/songwriter, one man garage band, or with his band The Sketch. Quickly releasing a string of titles on his own GetWithIt! Records imprint, including the EPs “THRILLER II,” “Live Bugs,” as well as a slew of singles, Gus established himself firmly as the godson of Texas rock ‘n’ roll. Splitting his time as a frequent collaborator with The Black Angels, Baldwin also works with the likes of Christian Bland & The Revelators as well as The UFO Club with Night Beats frontman, Danny Lee Blackwell.

Gus Baldwin & The Sketch kicked off their Western U.S. tour this month, which includes a performance at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. 

GUS BALDWIN & THE SKETCH LIVE 2024:
5/22 Marfa, TX
5/23 El Paso, TX
5/25 Las Vegas, NV
5/26 Long Beach, NV
5/27 San Francisco, CA
5/29 San Diego, CA
5/31 Los Angeles, CA
6/01 Tucson, AZ
6/02 Phoenix, AZ

Cover art for single Relief. Courtesy photos, used with permission.

New album release: Wonderland – The Palms

The Palms’ new album and ode to California, Wonderland, is available now. Photo: Mike Fahey, used with permission.

Started in Los Angeles, CA in 2015 by Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard, The Palms has become a formidable player in today’s independent musical landscape. With their signature California sound, an underground modern day classic in “Push Off,” and an ever growing and beloved fanbase and catalog, they’ve generated hundreds of millions of streams, all while retaining 100% ownership of their music and remaining loyal to their DIY ethos. (Big Hassle Media, 2024)

With their new album Wonderland out now, arguably their best work to date, 2024 looks to be a career defining year for The Palms. It’s time the world gets their ears on California’s best kept secret.

Their first full-length record since 2020, Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard have done a lot of creative healing and found their way back to their roots. Self-produced, Wonderland is the soundtrack for a top-down drive anywhere from Laurel Canyon to the Sunset Strip, an osmotic experience of surroundings and the band’s ever present motif of redemption based on their personal David vs Goliath journey.

“As a whole, ‘Wonderland’ is a portal into our own existence and our attempt at making sense of the wild world around us over the last three years. If each song acts as a story filled with questions and lessons, ‘Phases,’ the final track on ‘Wonderland,’ is a subtle resolution to the eleven songs preceding it and a reminder that this journey is but a series of chapters and episodes. As brutal and defeating as life can appear, ‘this too shall pass’ and it is up to us to find beauty and meaning in the lesson.”

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Wonderland track list:

“Talk Too Much”
“Jesse Jane”
“Pretty Face”
“Maggie’s Garden”
“Pretenders”
“Ready Or Not”
“One Stop”
“East Of LA”
“Freak Out”
“Feel It In My Hands”
“CA. Baby”
“Phases”

The California duo recently announced their headline Wonderland Tour. Kicking off in San Diego, CA on July 26, the tour will then make its way across North America, hitting major markets like Austin, D.C., Brooklyn and Chicago. To close out the tour, the band will play a hometown LA show at the Troubadour on August 24. Throughout the run, The Palms will receive support from Marlon Funaki, Lucia Zambetti and future.exboyfriend.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Forthcoming new album release: The Iceland Sessions – Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass announces new EP The Iceland Sessions featuring Holly Bowling out May 10 via Thirty Tigers. Photo: Tobin Voggesser, used with permission.

Greensky Bluegrass is widely known for their thoughtful lyricism, edgy and genre-expansive sound, dazzling live performances, and relentless touring schedule. However, that is only the tip of the complex tale of the five musicians that make up Greensky Bluegrass: Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [Mandolin]. The five are connected through a deep bond, just as they are seasoned road warriors, they’re a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, personal and collective highlights, and the moments when life turns it all upside down. (Big Hassle Media, 2024)

For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.

Greensky Bluegrass is thrilled to announce The Iceland Sessions due out May 10 via Thirty Tigers. Pre-orders are available now.

The EP was recorded at Flóki Studios in the summer of 2023, just before their first-ever Icelandic run of shows at Reykjavik’s Harpa Concert Hall. “We invited some of our favorite friends and musicians to play with us, including Holly Bowling, and we set out to make memories in the twilight sun with a bunch of fans who joined us from all over the world,” recalls Paul Hoffman. Bowling has been a regular guest in Greensky’s band lineup throughout the last several years and the chemistry between Bowling and the band is undeniable.

Flóki Studios is located in a very remote section of northern Iceland, and for Greensky, that’s precisely what was needed. A very intense few days that drew out creativity and inspiration not yet tapped by the band. “We embraced the disorienting inspiration and played late into the night as the sun never left us, all the while still developing lyrics and figuring out harmonies and arrangements. We swam in the cold water. We saw more sheep than people for days. We listened to the birds sing through the night while we charged through each song. A recording project that felt like a whirlwind at times turned into something calm and peaceful that felt more creative and raw than anything we’ve done before. Fully aware that we could continue to work on this later, we decided to commit to what we created in Iceland and have the recording be truly a moment in time.”

Following the release of The Iceland Sessions, Greensky will set out on their summer tour which kicks off May 12 in Mill Valley, CA. Up to date news and tour information is available online. 

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Forthcoming new album release: I Want It All Right Now – Grouplove

Grouplove announces deluxe version of I Want It All Right Now – out on May 10, 2024. Photo: Brantley Gutierrez, used with permission.

On their new album I Want It All Right Now, Grouplove offers up a body of work built on a raw but incandescent sound that vocalist/keyboardist Hannah Hooper refers to as “resistance pop.” As Hooper reveals, the Atlanta-based band’s sixth full-length album emerged from a period of intense transformation for herself and her husband/bandmate, vocalist/guitarist Christian Zucconi. Over the course of 11 shapeshifting songs, Grouplove’s debut release for Glassnote Records documents that progression from external searching to radical self-discovery, infusing each track with the wildly unbridled spirit the band has always embodied. (Big Hassle, 2024)

I Want It All Right Now fully harnesses the ecstatic energy Grouplove has brought to the stage on multiple international headline tours and at leading festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza. In a major leap forward for the band—whose lineup also includes bassist Daniel Gleason, guitarist Andrew Wessen, and drummer Ben Homola—the album explores the deepest tensions of the human psyche with equal parts tenderness, curiosity, and exacting self-revelation. A bold evolution of the defiantly sincere songwriting they first delivered on their 2011 debut Never Trust a Happy Song, I Want It All Right Now ultimately leaves the listener newly awakened to the wisdom and power of their own intuition.

I Want It All Right Now Deluxe will be available everywhere on May 10, 2024.

The deluxe album will feature six new tracks, including the live version of the album’s title track “All” from Madison Square Garden. With Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band lending his talents on the saxophone, the live rendition sheds any previous confines and swells into something altogether larger than life.

Multifaceted in her approach to artistry, Hannah Hooper has painted all of the band’s artwork. Grouplove’s artwork has become almost as recognizable as their sound over the years, seeing the band work out the tensions of life through all mediums at their disposal.

In February, Grouplove released the first deluxe track “Chances.” The rapturous, overstimulated, hallucinogenic singsong saw the band channeling their ecstatic energy into the deepest tensions of the human psyche, all while playing with the contradictions and complications of existing. I Want It All Right Now, the band’s sixth studio album, was originally released in 2023.

Over the last month, Grouplove has been joined by Bully for the North American Rock And Roll You Won’t Save Me Tour. Fans who missed the tour or simply want more need not despair as the band has upcoming festival performances this summer at Wildflower! Festival, Bonnaroo and Oceans Calling. By popular demand, Grouplove has been added to 9 new dates this fall supporting P!nk.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
May 17 – Richardson, TX – Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
June 14 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
June 22 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage (with Arkells)
September 28 – Ocean City, MD – Oceans Calling Festival
November 3 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ^
November 6 – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field ^
November 8 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center ^
November 11 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena^
November 12 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena^
November 14 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena^
November 16 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at The BJCC^
November 18 – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium^
November 20 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena^

^ supporting P!nk

I Want It All Right Now Deluxe track list:
“All”
“Cheese”
“Malachi”
“Hello”
“Eyes”
“Billie”
“Tryin’”
“Cream”
“Francine”
“Climb”
“Wall”
“Chances”
“Can You Feel My Love”
“Fire”
“House”
“Fishbowl”
“All (Live)”

Courtesy photo, used with permission

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New album release: Talking to Strangers – Jack McKeon

“Last Slice of Heaven” is the first single off Jack McKeon’s forthcoming new album Talking to Strangers, due out June 21, 2024. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Jack McKeon is a different sort of musician; a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with an honest, plainspoken vocal, an eclectic-roots sound, and a knack for bringing crystalline characters to life. A student of the greats drawn to the timeless, rather than the trendy, he hails from Chatham, New York (a few hours north of New York City and a world removed from the Americana and bluegrass scene he now inhabits), and harbors a deep love for the written word. First inspired by literary music icons from Hank Williams and Guy Clark to Tom T. Hall and John Hartford, McKeon arrived in Nashville in 2021 and has since established a reputation for his own message-drive lyricism—a value which shows up in its full sonic serenity on his 2024 album debut, Talking to Strangers, due out June 21. (IV-PR, 2024)

Recorded live over three days, Talking to Strangers captures the warm, organic sound of contemporary Appalachian soul, infusing folk rock with an easy-going bluegrass sway and speaking to his long-held musical values. It’s a work of classic craftsmanship, sturdy and simple yet packed with the nuance of a true, intentional wordsmith, and just the first significant step in what McKeon sees as “a lifelong pursuit.”

“Last Slice of Heaven” is the first single from Talking to Strangers. Fans can stream or purchase the single and pre-save Talking to Strangers ahead of its release.

With a classic banjo kick-off and rose-colored details dotting the first verse, Jack McKeon gives listeners their first taste of his new album with “Last Slice of Heaven.”

McKeon’s depiction of developmental creep is the story of every landowner outside of burgeoning cities nationwide. It doesn’t take long for the story to take a darker turn. How are the bills getting paid? Is there a new contractor twisting the county’s arm to condemn? “But now the land that he’s been working is worth more than he could need,” McKeon sings in the song’s pre-chorus. “If selling out’s surrender, is leaving like defeat?” “I wrote this song to give a voice to the person I imagined holding on to this ‘Last Slice of Heaven,’ a character at odds with the transformation around him who’s fighting to hold on to his own identity,” says McKeon. “…in spite of ‘A world that’s always changing what it means to be the same.’”

The Bluegrass Situation premiered the music video for “Last Slice of Heaven,” a simple, poignant affair in which McKeon picks the song on his vintage Gibson dreadnaught in his own little slice of heaven.

Talking to Strangers track list:
Willow Lane
Paler Shade of Blue
Highway 29
Last Slice of Heaven
I Don’t Trust You
Hard Headed
Crooked Teeth
Past the Point of Rescue
Waffle House Wonder
Love at the End of the World

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New album release: When It All Goes Down – Sarah King

Sarah King’s new album When It All Goes Down is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Award-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist Sarah King makes her long-awaited full-length solo debut with When It All Goes Down, exploring life’s seismic shifts via her own singular strain of Gothic Americana. Produced, engineered, and arranged by David Baron, the album sees King weaving classic rock ‘n’ roll, Southern soul, true country, and primal folk-blues into something inspiring and cathartic, deeply personal yet wholly universal. Fired by King’s spellbinding, seen-it-all vocals and rock solid rhythm guitar, songs like “The Longest Night” and the empowering, anthemic title track are haunting, oft-times harrowing, tales of impossible guilt and inconsolable grief, of raising hell (and the repercussions that follow), of how to stand face to face with the Devil himself yet somehow emerge bigger, better, and badder than before. (One In A Million Media, 2024)

Currently residing in the Green Mountains of Vermont, in a tiny log cabin without cell reception, Sarah King has walked many a hard road to reach When It All Goes Down. New England born and raised, King spent her early twenties down South, playing in a GA-based rock ‘n’ roll band and generally “growing up, a.k.a. becoming an adult.” She eventually moved back north but found herself at a crossroads, slightly burnt out but driven by an evolving passion for front porch folk and traditional blues, hard times music as real and true now as it was nearly a century ago.

A captivating and engaging live performer, King is keen to bring her cathartic blues to life on stage both as a solo artist and bandleader. Rich with rare integrity, earnest emotion, and a restless energy born of extraordinary experience, When It All Goes Down captures an acutely authentic artist exploring her spirit and songcraft in an effort to reach a place that’s both true and transcendent not only in herself, but in all those who also call upon the power of music in their time of need.

“My stories are folk stories,” says Sarah King. “Of the people, for the people, by the people (I’m a person). These are songs for folks who’ve lived through some shit and want some music that doesn’t shy away from that.”

When It All Goes Down track list:

1. Lord Take My Soul
2. Always an Almost
3. When It All Goes Down
4. The Longest Night
5. Blame it on the Booze
6. Stronger Than You Ever Knew
7. You Were Wrong About Me
8. Hey Hey What Can I Do
9. Whiskey Thinking
10. Pretty Things
11. The Moth
12. Devil’s Try

“A declaration of empowerment… with a wild, unbridled attitude”
– Americana UK

“A haunting tale with slow-burning Americana Noir sound”
– Glide Magazine

“Fiery, vulnerable songs informed by heartbreak and whiskey alike”
– Relix Magazine

“Merciless…she sings with a venomous tongue”
– American Songwriter

“Hard-hitting soul drenched Americana”
– Lonesome Highway 

“King’s powerful voice is uniquely suited for Americana and blues, a force of nature that conveys big emotions amidst rock-steady arrangements”
– Rainbow Rodeo

New single: Woman Like Me – Brontë Fall

Brontë Fall’s new single, Woman Like Me, is a bluesy-rocker appealing to anyone who has ever been asked to fit into a box. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Teri Bracken, better known by her stage name Brontë Fall, is an acclaimed songwriter whose road to songwriting began in childhood when she picked up piano at age 7. Classical violin lessons soon followed, and eventually she was tapped as the singer/violinist in a college rock band with a group of nineties rock loving frat boys. Bracken eventually made her way to Nashville—a dream come true considering it is a songwriter’s mecca. Though most of her instrumental focus is on guitar these days for pure convenience sake, Bracken still brings out her violin and even performs on piano during her shows—she never sings a note empty handed. (IV-PR, 2024)

After a family tragedy struck in 2022, Bracken rededicated herself to her craft, emerging with plenty of scar tissue and a batch of new songs that she considers her best yet. That lineup is highlighted by the new single Woman Like Me. The track is both a reminder of Fall’s skills as a songwriter and a significant leap forward in both sound and style. It’s a defining statement, the culmination of years grinding for a shot and, at the same time, a new beginning.

After years of grinding through music industry blockades on free-thinking, hard-working women, not to mention universal, unrealistic female expectations, Bracken decided it was time to set her record straight. “That we must ‘settle down’ at a specific time to start a family, give up our careers and lead a purely domestic existence; that we should be the apologetic, pleasing peacemakers; My song ‘Woman Like Me’ is a pushback on that entire narrative,” she says. After all, it was the Brontë sisters’ resistance to gender stereotypes in their industry that was a guiding light for Bracken at the beginning of her career, naming her whole persona in honor of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne’s resilience. 

With Woman Like Me, while owning who she is but also lamenting the unease she feels, Brontë Fall poses the question “Am I lovable?” over minor blues chords and a rock groove, making the song feel edgy, rebellious, and intriguing. “I’ve also found, while performing this song, that it touches people regardless of gender because perhaps we all feel pressure to fit a certain box based on where we’re from—and through the lens of social media,” she says. 

Recorded with a backing band of Matt Bubel, Robert Kearns, Jabe Beyer, Corey Congilio, Tim Craven (who also produced the track), and John Henry, the song signals a new era for Brontë Fall. Woman Like Me is the first of many new songs from the artist, all of which honor a new commitment to her most true self. “With this new era, I just wanted to be as authentic and raw as possible. In the past I was trying too hard or trying to be too different from who I actually am.” With Woman Like Me, Brontë Fall is beginning to unveil her unbridled vision.

Out everywhere, “Woman Like Me” is available right here and be sure to stay tuned for much more new music in the coming months. Brontë Fall will take the stage in Nashville for a hometown show on April 19. Tickets and more information can be found here.

 

New single: High Hopes and Low Expectations – JD Clayton

High Hopes and Low Expectations is the new single by JD Clayton. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

With his new single, High Hopes and Low Expectations, the Natural State’s new favorite recording artist, JD Clayton, tells the story of a young man searching for a better self and greener pastures, leaving his small town for the glamour of the big city. “This is really a song to myself,” says Clayton who co-wrote High Hopes with Nashville veteran Kendell Marvel. The song was self-produced by Clayton and he teamed up with six-time Grammy Awards winner Vance Powell to mix the track. The song’s protagonist meets an older gentleman who gives him a bit of free advice: “Live with high hopes and low expectations.” It’s not lost on Clayton that Marvel is the one who’s giving him the sage advice back in the real world. “He has become such a good friend and has been so kind to me as I’ve started my career,” says Clayton. “It felt like we were living out the song literally as we penned it.” (IV-PR, 2024)

Clayton found the inspiration for High Hopes and Low Expectations by chasing a blend of James Taylor and Elton John. Acoustically rich, the mid-tempo slow burner rides a heavy emphasis on a borderline-funky backbeat, piano, and guitars playing counterpoint to Clayton’s earnest vocal delivery. High Hopes and Low Expectations is out now and can be streamed or purchased right here. This single is the first in a number of new releases from Clayton as he gears up for a full-length follow-up to 2023’s Long Way From Home.

JD Clayton’s debut album, Long Way From Home, was released in early 2023 receiving overwhelming critical acclaim. Named one of 2023’s most anticipated Americana albums by Wide Open Country, the debut, 10-song offering has simplicity and sincerity running throughout. Earnest lyrics and lived-in vocals are delivered with a balance of warmth and resolve, and his timeless sound has an immediate appeal. Touring-wise, 2023 was spent building fans market by market, city by city while touring with Dwight Yoakam, Old Crow Medicine Show, Josh Turner, Tanner Usrey, Pat Green, Shane Smith & The Saints, Vincent Neil Emerson, Parker McCollum, Hank Williams Jr., Brent Cobb, Ashley McBryde, Cole Chaney and playing tastemaker festivals such as Bonnaroo, Rebels & Renegades, Born & Raised, and Dreamy Draw. On the heels of his debut album’s success, Clayton is putting finishing touches on his forthcoming self-produced record to be announced in spring and released later 2024. 

Clayton just wrapped up a 22 date tour with Tanner Usrey through early March and has upcoming dates with Ashley McBryde in April as well as adding additional headline and other support dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

Catch JD Clayton On Tour:
April 25 – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre *
April 26 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory *
May 3 – Cullman, AL – Alabama Strawberry Festival 2024
May 12 – San Diego, CA – Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival
May 17 – Bentonville, AR – FreshGrass Bentonville
* With Ashley McBryde