A new episode of The SDR Show featuring Rival Sons' Jay Buchanan is now available wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the video below.
During the interview, Buchanan talks about why the band decided to record and release two complete albums, singing the national anthem and while he thinks Whitney Houston’s version is the gold standard Marvin Gaye’s is certainly the coolest, how Covid disrupted success, advice from Judas Priest's Rob Halford, and much more.
Rival Sons released their new album, Darkfighter, via Low Country Sound/Atlantic Records on June 2. And the band recently shared details of a companion album entitled Lightbringer, due out in late 2023.
Expanding on the two album set, Buchanan commented, "In comparison to our previous records, we certainly took our time both writing and recording this collection. When we set out, the intention was mostly to dig as deep as possible. Even in the beginning before the body had formed, we agreed to throw the map away and chop our way through the woods to make a new path. Then lockdown hit and it felt like the whole damn country decided to throw the map away too. For myself, 2022 was like an eight-stage rocket of life changing events, so every time I thought I was finished writing, a new bull would come tearing through the clothesline and I’d have to illustrate it in some way. By the end, there were really two different sides to the same story being told. On one side, you’re fighting the darkness and, on the other, you’re bringing your own light to where there is none. One side in a corner, on the ropes, and the other advancing, cleaning the ring. Without an intermission, a refractory period, the collection would be too big a bite, so splitting it in two was the only way to do it."
Darkfighter is available to order / save here.
Produced by longtime collaborator and multi Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, Darkfighter is led by the explosive single “Nobody Wants to Die,” which is available today all streaming platforms and accompanied by an Eli Sokhn directed music video, which can be viewed below. The track notably marks the first new music from Rival Sons since the release of 2019’s Feral Roots, which earned the band two Grammy Award nominations.
Elaborating on the genesis of Darkfighter, vocalist Jay Buchanan notes, “Darkfighter represents the cultural mitosis of isolation, the Pandemic, and the national fabric of the US getting looser and looser. When I say ‘Cultural Mitosis’, there are lines being drawn constantly. We’re so divided, and you can’t step over the lines without offending someone. It certainly informed my writing. We recognized a responsibility to put a good word on people’s ears so there’s a good word coming back on their tongues too. We missed the joy of the live show and that magical interaction. When it was taken from us, that made me want to sing about topics that were important. There are strong themes on this record of loss of identity, preservation of joy, and beholding light and shape again.”
Lead guitarist Scott Holiday added, “Records are a healthy form of escapism. I hope this one takes you as far away as possible. Our intent was to create a cinematic body of work. As soon as the doors shut behind you, you’re enveloped on the ride. This is the sound of us really coming into our own. We’ve gotten further from our influences and gotten closer to what we are. Darkfighter sounds like the Rival Sons.”
Tracklisting:
"Mirrors"
"Nobody Wants To Die"
"Bird In The Hand"
"Bright Light"
"Rapture"
"Guillotine"
"Horses Breath"
"Darkside"
“Bird In The Hand” video:
"Rapture" video:
"Nobody Wants To Die" video:
(Photo - Pamela Littky)
