Neko Case Releases “Curse of the I-5 Corridor,” Duet with Mark Lanegan off Her Forthcoming Hell-On

Neko Case is releasing her first solo album since her 2013 record The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. Her new album, Hell-On, due out on June 1, is a 12-song, self-produced LP. Case has given listeners a taste of the new record with tracks “Bad Luck” and “Hell-On,” and now with “Curse Of The I-5 Corridor,” Case has left a final bread crumb before the release of the full-length.

The seven-minute song winds like the long interstate it references: I-5 runs along the West Coast of the U.S., from the Mexican to Canadian border. A duet with Mark Lanegan, who is known for his solo work in addition to collaborations and his work with Queens of the Stone Age, “Curse Of The I-5 Corridor” is a haunting combination of lyrics and sound. The song reflects on the past, and uncovers an unsureness of the future and what it could have brought. Lines like “in the current of your life I was an eyelash in the shipping lanes” and “I fear I smell extinction in the folds of this novocaine age coming on” reveal these aspects. Lanegan’s voice at times becomes an eerie echo to Case’s, lurking in the background, and adds to the tension the song’s instrumental breaks carry.

Listen to “Curse Of The I-5 Corridor” below and find Case’s tour dates further down.

Neko Case Tour Dates:

May
27 – George, Wash. @ Sasquatch Festival
28 – Boise, Idaho @ Summerfield at Memorial Stadium ‡
30 – Bend, Ore. @ Les Schwab Amphitheather ‡

June
01 – Berkeley, Calif. @ Greek Theatre ‡
02 – San Diego, Calif. @ Cal Cost Credit Union Open Air Theatre ‡
03 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Greek Theatre ‡
05 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Comerica Theatre ‡
08 – Irving, Texas @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory‡
09 – Austin, Texas @ Austin360 Amphitheatre ‡
10 – Sugar Land, Texas @ Smart Financial Centre ‡
12 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion ‡
13 – Southaven, Miss. @ Bankplus Amphitheatre at Snowden Grove ‡
15 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Farm Bureau Lawn at White River Amphitheatre ‡
16 – Chicago, Ill. @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island ‡
17 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ascend Amphitheater ‡
19 – Charlotte, N.C. @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre ‡
20 – Columbia, Md. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion ‡
22 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing ‡
23 – Boston, Mass. @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion ‡
24 – Boston, Mass. @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion ‡
26 – Wallingford, Conn. @ Oakdale Theatre ‡
28 – Bangor, Maine @ Darlings Waterfront Pavillion ‡
29 – North Adams, Mass. @ Mass Moca ‡
30 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica ‡

July
01 – Detroit, Mich. @ Meadow Brook Theatre ‡
03 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Heinz Hall ‡
04 – Cooperstown, N.Y. @ Brewery Ommegang ‡
06 – Madison, Wis. @ Breese Stevens Field ‡
07 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Peabody Opera House ‡
08 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Starlight Theatre ‡
10 – Morrsion, Colo. @ Red Rocks Amphitheater ‡

September
05 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Pabst Theatre ~
06 – St. Paul, Minn. @ The Palace Theatre ~
07 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Hoyt Sherman Place ~
08 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Bourbon Theatre ~
09 – Tulsa, Okla. @ Cain’s Ballroom ~
11 – New Orleans, La. @ Civic Theatre ~
12 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Iron City ~
13 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse ~
14 – Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Memorial Hall at UNC ~
15 – Charlottesville, Va. @ Jefferson Theater ~
17 – Harrisburg, Pa. @ Sunoco Theatre ~
20 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon Theatre ~
21 – Poughkeepsie, N.Y. @ Bardavon 1869 Opera House ~
24 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Danforth Music Hall ~
26 – Buffalo, N.Y. @ Asbury Hall at Babeville ~
27 – St. Johnsbury, Vt. @ Fuller Hall ~

October
29 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Nalen
30 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Bremen Theatre

November
01- Berlin, Germany @ Bi Nuu
02 – Cologne, Germany @ Stadtgarten Cologne
04 – Brussels, Belgium @ Rotonde – Botanique
06 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street
07 – Leeds, U.K. @ Brudenell Social Club
08 – London, U.K. @ Barbican

(‡ – with Ray LaMontagne)
(~ – with Thao [of The Get Down Stay Down])