Article By: Leanne Ridgeway
Last month, we shared some details about the upcoming record [here]. Today, we have all the details, including the tracklist and links for pre-order. We also have the first single they’ve released from it. Without further nonsense, here’s the buzz:
Maryland rockers CLUTCH have announced ‘Book of Bad Decisions’ as the title of their new studio album. CLUTCH’s 12th studio album is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 7th, 2018, via their own Weathermaker Music label. The album was recorded at Sputnik Sound in Nashville, TN, by producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather) and consists of 15 new tracks. The album cover was designed by renowned photographer Dan Winters.
“With Vance Powell as producer we were able to make a very different kind of an album. The songs feel as if they could jump out of the speakers!” says drummer Jean-Paul Gaster.
Bassist Dan Maines seconds that when he says “Recording in Nashville with Vance Powell gave us a new and fresh approach towards making an album that truly captures the live energy of Clutch in a way I don’t think we’ve done before.”
Guitarist Tim Sult adds “Laying down guitar tracks with Vance was fun and inspiring. Going through and trying out his and his engineer, Mike Fahey’s collection of vintage amps was one of my favorite recording studio experiences. I think the outro solo of ‘Emily Dickinson’ turned out particularly great.”
Book Of Bad Decisions tracklist:
01. Gimme the Keys
02. Spirit of ’76
03. Book of Bad Decisions
04. How to Shake Hands
05. In Walks Barbarella
06. Vision Quest
07. Weird Times
08. Emily Dickinson
09. Sonic Counselor
10. A Good Fire
11. Ghoul Wrangler
12. HB Is in Control
13. Hot Bottom Feeder
14. Paper & Strife
15. Lorelei
The first single from ‘Book of Bad Decisions’ is “Gimme the Keys” and released today, May 18th, 2018. The accompanying lyric video [Vevo (lyric video) / YouTube (audio stream) are both further below] was created by David Brodsky.
The song is about the band’s first tour back in 1991, a time where they began to cut their teeth in the live music business, dealt with show cancellations and incidents on the road. One particular show in a shed surrounded by cornfields in Lawrence, Kansas ultimately turned ugly over a missing microphone and accusations brought by drunk and gun-toting security people at the end of a long day. “Gimme the keys they can keep the guarantee | Gimme the keys and get the hell out of dodge” is a reflection of the mood of that night.
This single is the first of four to be released over the next couple of months as an instant gratification track when pre-ordering the album at iTunes or Amazon.
All album formats (CD, 24-page book with CD, 2xLP Standard Black, Limited Colored 2xLP, and 2xLP Picture Disc) will have the same 15 tracks. In addition, Weathermaker Music will release two very limited 7” Picture Discs.
“I’ve never been one for nostalgia,” says Neil Fallon, “I’ve always shied away from it. But after 27 years of this, I realize that there is a wealth of stories to look back upon as lyrical fodder. As the saying goes, ‘You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.’ Not all the songs reference our collective experience as a band, but ‘Book of Bad Decisions’ seemed like an apt name for these various chapters, whether factual, fictitious, or somewhere in-between.”
Pre-Order Here: iTunes / Amazon
CLUTCH recently announced the second edition of their Earth Rocker Festival for 2018. Find all details about it HERE. All other tour dates can be found HERE.
