SOUL ASYLUM
HURRY UP AND WAIT – Out APRIL 17, 2020
Record Store Day Limited Release Announced
NEW SINGLE, “SOCIAL BUTTERFLY”, OUT TODAY!
Headlining Official SXSW Showcase March 20, 2020
New single, “Social Butterfly” debuted yesterday via Billboard, and is now available on all streaming platforms. While Hurry Up and Wait has the trademark rock guitar sound of classic SOUL ASYLUM, it also boasts some subtle sonic evolutions. The smoky guitars of “Social Butterfly ” incorporate a dreamy aesthetic reminiscent of The Smiths, along with indie-pop acts.Hurry Up and Wait was mastered by Grammy-award winning engineer Emily Lazar, and certainly echoes of all the eras, and influences on, SOUL ASYLUM’s work. “Make Her Laugh” is a laid-back, Stones-inspired jam; “Freezer Burn” marries hardcore energy to supercharged melodic punk riffing; and “Here We Go” is a pristine, lovelorn song with a deeply sentimental core. Lead single “If I Told You,” meanwhile, is quintessential SOUL ASYLUM: Chiming riffs, an evocative guitar solo, and wistful Pirner vocals and lyrics unite to create a vibe that’s melancholy but lovely.
“I did sort of put my guard down,” Pirner says. “And I was like, ‘Well, this time, I’m going to just go with whatever seems to be working, and I don’t really care what kind of music people want to call it.’ It’s a little raw and forthcoming in the way that I didn’t second guess it. There’s a lot of just letting it come out as opposed to trying to force something.”
It helped that SOUL ASYLUM recorded Hurry Up and Wait with a long-time studio collaborator: co-producer John Fields, who also worked on the band’s previous three albums.
Frontman Dave Pirner, generally considered one of America’s greatest songwriters, is also gearing up to unveil his new book entitled Loud, Fast, Words, an annotated collection of lyrics with an essay about each of his albums. The book is set for a March 17 release via MNHS Publishing (Minnesota Historical Society).
SOUL ASYLUM have been on the road since February, touring across the U.S. with Local H supporting. The 25-city tour kicked off on February 11 in Milwaukee with the final date in Oklahoma on March 18. The band will then head down to Austin, TX where the quartet will headline the Blue Élan Records Official SXSW Showcase on Friday, March 20 at Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue.
Spanning three decades, SOUL ASYLUM ’s indie success led to the band entering the major-label mainstream with 1988’s Hang Time and its 1990 follow-up And the Horse They Rode In On, before achieving a platinum-level commercial breakthrough with 1992’s Grave Dancers Union (certified 3x platinum) and 1995’s Let Your Dim Light Shine. Grave Dancers Union featured the international hits “Runaway Train,” which won a 1994 Grammy as Best Rock Song, and “Black Gold,” while Let Your Dim Light Shine (platinum) spawned the hit “Misery.” After 1998’s Candy from a Stranger, SOUL ASYLUM returned to action in 2006 with The Silver Lining, Delayed Reaction six years later and most recently with 2016’s Change of Fortune.
The current SOUL ASYLUM line-up features Dave Pirner as lead vocals/guitar, Michael Bland on drums, Ryan Smith on lead guitar, and Wynston Roye on bass.
SOUL ASYLUM ON TOUR – Local H supports all dates except where noted:
3/07 – Reno, NV – Boomtown Casino *
3/08 – San Francisco, CA – Slims
3/11 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
3/13 – San Diego, CA – Belly UP
3/14 – Las Vegas, NV – Silverton Casino *
3/15 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
3/16 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine
3/18 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
3/20 – Austin, TX – SXSW official showcase @ Lamberts *
*Local H not appearing on these dates
