Jay Reatard Gears Up for New Album, Summer Tour

He's been called the new voice of punk and one of the hardest working men in the business; both of these things are probably true. Never one to fall short of the hype, Jay Reatard is putting some finishing touches on his premiere full-length of new material with Matador Records, Watch Me Fall, which is now confirmed for an Aug. 18 release.

What else is the industrious Reatarded one up to? A cursory glance at his new website (complete with entertaining Twitter feed) opens the lid to a veritable treasure trove: a Record Store Day split single with Sonic Youth (good luck on eBay, y'all), a B-sides compilation album called Greatest Messes on the way, and a free download of Watch Me Fall's first single "Ain't Gonna Save Me".

To top it off, he's managed to bend space-time to eke out enough spare moments for a summer tour. Scratch that first part, he's definitely the hardest working man in the biz right now:

June

11 - San Diego, Calif. @ Casbah

12 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Echo

13 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent

15 - Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Café

16 - Vancouver, B.C. @ The Biltmore Cabaret

17 - Portland, Ore. @ Dante's

19 - Long Beach, Calif. @ Alex's Bar

26 - Chicago, Ill. @ Bottom Lounge

27 - Detroit, Mich. @ Magic Stick

28 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop

29 - Toronto, Ont. @ The Mod Club