Legendary Minneapolis band 12 Rods — who famously got Pitchfork's first-ever perfect 10 rating for their 1996 EP Gay? — haven't released an album since 2002's Lost Time, but that's about to change; frontman Ryan Olcott has announced a new album as 12 Rods called If We Stayed Alive, arriving July 7 on American Dreams.
If We Stayed Alive was first mentioned in 2021, when Olcott shared on Facebook that he was recording the first new 12 Rods album since 2002. "These are songs that I forgot about, but upon finding them, I thought, 'Wow, these are actually OK.'" Olcott said. "I think it's the best material I've had to offer so far."
Today, Olcott has shared the new single "My Year (This Is Going to Be)," which was originally debuted live by the band during their Minneapolis reunion show in 2015. It's a shimmery earworm of a song, and it sounds very much like the 12 Rods of yesteryear.
12 Rods released four full-length albums and two EPs between 1993 and 2002, and if "My Year (This Is Going to Be)" is any indication, it sounds like Olcott has managed to keep the spark after all these years.
Check out the If We Stayed Alive tracklist and "My Year (This Is Going to Be)" below.
If We Stayed Alive:
1. All I Can Think About
2. My Year (This Is Going to Be)
3. Private Spies
4. Comfortable Situation
5. The Beating
6. Hide Without Delay
7. Twice
If We Stayed Alive was first mentioned in 2021, when Olcott shared on Facebook that he was recording the first new 12 Rods album since 2002. "These are songs that I forgot about, but upon finding them, I thought, 'Wow, these are actually OK.'" Olcott said. "I think it's the best material I've had to offer so far."
Today, Olcott has shared the new single "My Year (This Is Going to Be)," which was originally debuted live by the band during their Minneapolis reunion show in 2015. It's a shimmery earworm of a song, and it sounds very much like the 12 Rods of yesteryear.
12 Rods released four full-length albums and two EPs between 1993 and 2002, and if "My Year (This Is Going to Be)" is any indication, it sounds like Olcott has managed to keep the spark after all these years.
Check out the If We Stayed Alive tracklist and "My Year (This Is Going to Be)" below.
If We Stayed Alive:
1. All I Can Think About
2. My Year (This Is Going to Be)
3. Private Spies
4. Comfortable Situation
5. The Beating
6. Hide Without Delay
7. Twice