Cass McCombs announces his new album, Interior Live Oak, out August 15th via Domino, and releases a new single/video, “Peace.” Interior Live Oak is Cass’s most personal album to date, and, more than any previous record, shows Cass’ vast range as a lyricist and musician. It draws from everything Cass has created over two decades of experimentation to cut through with a direct and clarifying light. Throughout, his attitude is hopeful, which may sound odd for someone who often sings about the more extreme aspects of modern life. Interior Live Oak, however, is the resolve of someone who has lived those extremes.
In creating Interior Live Oak, McCombs was inspired by the return to Domino and the revisitation of his early material in last year’s reissue campaign and the archival release, Seed Cake on Leap Year. This led him to work with some of his earliest collaborators in the Bay Area, including Jason Quever (Papercuts) and Chris Cohen, among others. Additional recording in New York City brought contributions from other perennial collaborators, including Matt Sweeney and Mike Bones, whose guitar work has always been a favorable complement to Cass’ own distinctive style. Interior Live Oak simultaneously expands upon his vision and is a return to a more economical form.
Following Interior Live Oak’s “Priestess,” released earlier this year alongside a Tiny Desk Concert, today’s single, “Peace,” is a straightforward rocker with serpentine riffs. “Peace is what we say when we say goodbye,” Cass sings, bidding a melancholy farewell.
In a time of temporal anxieties, Cass’ music seeks an alternate route to break through the noise and discover a moment of presence— of beauty. As NPR Music puts it, his songs “are slow, languid and beautiful, which feels like the right counterbalance to our fast-paced times.”
Coinciding with the release of Interior Live Oak, Cass will tour Europe with a mix of headline, festival, and support dates with Father John Misty. He’ll then return to the US for two headline dates in California and a show with MJ Lenderman. All dates are below, and tickets for the UK and California headline shows will be available on Wednesday, June 18th here.
Pre-order Interior Live Oak
Watch the Lyrics Video for “Priestess”
Watch Cass McCombs’ Tiny Desk Concert
Cass McCombs Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Wed. Aug. 13 – Porto, PT @ Paredes de Coura ^
Sat. Aug. 17 – Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival ^
Tue. Aug. 19 – Bristol, UK @Lantern Hall ^
Wed. Aug. 20 – London, UK @Bush Hall ^
Thu. Aug. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES ^
Sat. Aug. 23 – Galway, IE @ Leisureland * %
Sun. Aug. 24 – Dublin, IE @ Wider Than Pictures Festival * %
Mon. Aug. 25 – Belfast, IE @ Ulster Hall * %
Tue. Aug. 26 – Cork, IE @ City Hall * %
Thu. Aug. 28 – Glasgow, SCT @ Barrowland * %
Fri. Aug. 29 – Glasgow, SCT @ Barrowland * %
Wed. Sept. 10 – San Diego, CA @The Casbah ^
Thu. Sept. 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall & ^
Fri. Sept. 12 – Riverside, CA @Farmhouse ^
* with Father John Misty
& with MJ Lenderman, Nap Eyes
% Solo
^ Full Band Performance
Keep your mind open.
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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]
