Black Lips Announce New Album, Share Twangy Single “Gentleman”

Atlanta garage-rock outfit Black Lips have announced their ninth album, Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart, due in January of next year and by the sound of their latest single, “Gentleman,” the raw rockers have taken a daring step into the realm of country-rock.

“Gentleman” has all the elements of a bonafide country track, including acoustic guitar, lap steel and twang-tinged vocals of desperation. Singer Cole Alexander slurs his way through bizarre meditations of a heartbroken cowboy junkie, singing, “Feel like a strung-out Snuffleupagus on the southside wearing Vietnamese cowboy clothes.” By the time the chorus hits, the group’s elevated harmonies veer into the absurdly glam direction of Rocky Horror. The track throws a lot in your face but finds success in its blend of styles neither here nor there.

While the instrumentation on “Gentleman” feels clearly inspired by a past era, the recording process of the record may have something to do with its nostalgic feeling, as well. Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart was recorded with Nic Jodoin at Valentine Recording Studios—which recently reopened since shutting its doors in 1979. In the studio that hosted The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby, the group mixed their album with vintage analog technique, cutting it directly to tape.

The result is something that feels dirty, raw and distinctly alive. “Odelia,” the first single from the record, could be easily mistaken for the abrasive ‘70s garage rockby which its influenced. Whether the record continues down the paths of country-rock, garage or glam is something we’ll have to wait to discover, but the album’s first two cuts indicate that whatever shape it takes, it will be marvelous.

Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart is set to release Jan. 24, 2020, on Fire Records/VICE and can be preordered here. You can listen to “Gentleman” and a cut from Black Lips’ Paste session below, and find their album details and tour dates further down.

Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart Album Art:

Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart Tracklist:
01. Hooker Jon
02. Chainsaw
03. Rumbler
04. Holding Me Holding You
05. Gentleman
06. Get It On Time”
07. Angola Rode
08. Georgia
09. Odelia
10. Dishonest Men
11. Locust
12. Live Fast Die Slow

Black Lips Tour Dates:

November
08 – London, U.K. @ EartH
09 – Salford, U.K. @ The White Hotel
10 – Leeds, U.K. @ Brudenell Social Club
12 – Glasgow, U.K. @ Stereo
13 – Liverpool, U.K. @ Arts Club Liverpool
14 – Bristol, U.K. @ The Fleece
16 – Munich, Germany @ Technikum
17 – Berlin, Germany @ Synästhesie Festival
18 – Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow
19 – Cologne, Germany @ Gebäude 9
21 – Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
22 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Skatecafe Karin & Yvonne
23 – Brussels, Belgium @ Atelier 210

December
11 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall (upstairs)
12 – Dallas, Texas @ Club Dada
13 – Austin, Texas @ Barracuda
14 – San Antonio, Texas @ Paper Tiger

January
21 – Gainesville, Fla. @ High Dive
22 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Jack Rabbits
23 – Orlando, Fla. @ The Social
24 – Miami, Fla. @ The Ground at Club Space
25 – Tampa, Fla. @ Crowbar
26 – Tallahassee, Fla. @ The Wilbury