Following some recent teasing, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks have announced their new album. Titled Sparkle Hard, the record will arrive on May 18 via Matador.
For a taste of the new album, you can now hear "Shiggy," which can be streamed at the bottom of the page. The song follows the recently shared "Middle America," another new track that will appear on Sparkle Hard.
The group's seventh album features Malkmus, along with band members Mike Clark (keyboards), Joanna Bolme (bass) and Jake Morris (drums). And according to a press release, "It's light 'n' breezy, head-down heavy, audacious, melancholic and reflective, goodtime and bodacious, and it pulls off the smartest trick: it's both unmistakably the Jicks and – due to the streamlining of their trademark tics and turns, plus the introduction of some unexpected flourishes (Auto-Tune! A fiddle! Guest vocalist Kim Gordon! One seven-minute song with an acoustic folk intro!) – the Jicks refashioned."
Yes, the album features a guest spot by former Sonic Youth hero Kim Gordon.
The PR goes on to say "self-indulgent escapism has never been the Jicks' bag." That said, though "Sparkle Hard, the reality of modern life sits closer to the surface, communication cutting to the chase whether it's a proto-punk grind or a back-porch country duet doing the talking. A cleaner burn for dark and complex times."
As previously reported, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks also have a North American tour booked in support of the album, including dates here in Canada. You can see the schedule over here.
Sparkle Hard:
1. Cast Off
2. Future Suite
3. Solid Silk
4. Bike Lane
5. Middle America
6. Rattler
7. Shiggy
8. Kite
9. Brethren
10. Refute
11. Difficulties / Let Them Eat Vowels
For a taste of the new album, you can now hear "Shiggy," which can be streamed at the bottom of the page. The song follows the recently shared "Middle America," another new track that will appear on Sparkle Hard.
The group's seventh album features Malkmus, along with band members Mike Clark (keyboards), Joanna Bolme (bass) and Jake Morris (drums). And according to a press release, "It's light 'n' breezy, head-down heavy, audacious, melancholic and reflective, goodtime and bodacious, and it pulls off the smartest trick: it's both unmistakably the Jicks and – due to the streamlining of their trademark tics and turns, plus the introduction of some unexpected flourishes (Auto-Tune! A fiddle! Guest vocalist Kim Gordon! One seven-minute song with an acoustic folk intro!) – the Jicks refashioned."
Yes, the album features a guest spot by former Sonic Youth hero Kim Gordon.
The PR goes on to say "self-indulgent escapism has never been the Jicks' bag." That said, though "Sparkle Hard, the reality of modern life sits closer to the surface, communication cutting to the chase whether it's a proto-punk grind or a back-porch country duet doing the talking. A cleaner burn for dark and complex times."
As previously reported, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks also have a North American tour booked in support of the album, including dates here in Canada. You can see the schedule over here.
Sparkle Hard:
1. Cast Off
2. Future Suite
3. Solid Silk
4. Bike Lane
5. Middle America
6. Rattler
7. Shiggy
8. Kite
9. Brethren
10. Refute
11. Difficulties / Let Them Eat Vowels
