Regina-based roots outfit the Dead South return with a new LP titled Illusion & Doubt next week, but you can give it a listen in its entirety at Exclaim! right now.
Injecting folk and bluegrass sounds with a punk rock ethos (not to mention a banjo player who's a self-proclaimed metalhead), the band bring a fresh perspective to classic genres. Their new album was made with producer, engineer and mixer Jason Plumb at Studio One Recordings in their Saskatchewan hometown, and it aims to capture the group's raucous energy in recorded form.
From the gently plucked intro on opener "These Boots," things pick up quickly, moving immediately into rapid-fire riffs and grizzly vocals that are softened and sophisticated with the addition of instruments like mandolin and cello. That sound runs through the remainder of the album too, with each song alternating like love letters between a man and a woman — eventually coming to a close with "Gunslinger's Glory."
Some of the themes may be familiar to fans who have been following the band for a while. "But it's a more mature take on lovin', cheatin', killin' and drinkin'," singer/guitarist Nate Hilts insists. "We've been experimenting with different instruments, and lyrically, we're growing along with that."
You can hear that growth for yourself by taking Illusion & Doubt out for a spin below, before the record is officially out on November 18. The Dead South also have a long string of Western Canadian dates coming up, and you can see all those here.
Injecting folk and bluegrass sounds with a punk rock ethos (not to mention a banjo player who's a self-proclaimed metalhead), the band bring a fresh perspective to classic genres. Their new album was made with producer, engineer and mixer Jason Plumb at Studio One Recordings in their Saskatchewan hometown, and it aims to capture the group's raucous energy in recorded form.
From the gently plucked intro on opener "These Boots," things pick up quickly, moving immediately into rapid-fire riffs and grizzly vocals that are softened and sophisticated with the addition of instruments like mandolin and cello. That sound runs through the remainder of the album too, with each song alternating like love letters between a man and a woman — eventually coming to a close with "Gunslinger's Glory."
Some of the themes may be familiar to fans who have been following the band for a while. "But it's a more mature take on lovin', cheatin', killin' and drinkin'," singer/guitarist Nate Hilts insists. "We've been experimenting with different instruments, and lyrically, we're growing along with that."
You can hear that growth for yourself by taking Illusion & Doubt out for a spin below, before the record is officially out on November 18. The Dead South also have a long string of Western Canadian dates coming up, and you can see all those here.