The Commoners are on track for another banner year with the release of their third album, Restless. Released by Gypsy Soul Records on June 21, 2024, the new album features ten tracks that grip your senses and make you groove. The album's available to pre-order in various formats at this location.
Following their critically acclaimed 2022 sophomore album Find A Better Way, the Canadian roots-rock quintet continue their dedicated musical journey to provide listeners with a hearty dose of Southern-style swagger accentuated with slide guitar, organ swell, and heartfelt vocals.
“The Way I Am”, the second single taken from the new album, was released digitally on January 26th. The song is currently available on all streaming platforms. Kicking through the speaker with high energy and grit, “The Way I Am” bears an unapologetically wild spirit, effectively setting a tone that matches the album’s edgy theme. Chris Medhurst’s lead vocals plead and pry over Ben Spiller’s pulsing bass and Adam Cannon’s rhythmic percussion, steering the verses into a true rock n’ roll chorus supported by rich harmonies and wailing riffs.
Combined with Ross Hayes Citrullo’s infectious guitar riffs, the new single delivers a second helping of anthemic, guitar-driven rock. It’s the perfect follow-up to the previous single, “Devil Teasin’ Me”, which proved immensely popular on British classic rock radio.
A natural evolution from their 2022 album Find A Better Way, Restless offers a peek behind the curtain of success, revealing the gruelling routines and ragged emotions that hide behind the glamorous aesthetic of a rock band on the rise. With introspective, slower-tempo numbers pocketed amongst rip-roaring anthems, the new album, recorded at RHC Music in Toronto, is a portrait of a hardworking group revitalizing a classic genre.
“As with our previous album, we wanted to marry old and new southern rock together in a way that was unique to the band’s Canadian roots,” says The Commoners guitarist and producer Ross Hayes Citrullo. “By adding the soul and rock elements of The Black Crowes, and the southern blues rock undertones of The Allman Brothers to a production style akin to Blackberry Smoke and Rival Sons, I think we developed an authentic sound that compares sonically to some of our favourite records across all of those music genres.”
With 2023 rounding out a busy year of recording and touring the UK, in support of none other than Grammy-nominated duo Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, The Commoners are an act to keep tabs on. The release of Restless will see the quintet greeting the road once more in 2024, with two UK festivals (Steelhouse and Maid Of Stone) already slated for July, and more dates to be announced in the coming weeks. From the speakers to the stage, one thing is certain: The Commoners are ushering in a party rock renaissance, and we’re all invited.
Tracklisting:
"Devil Teasin’ Me"
"Shake You Off"
"The Way I Am"
"Restless"
"Gone Without Warning"
"Who Are You (Ain't Knocked Down)"
"Body And Soul"
"See You Again"
"Too Soon To Know You"
"All That We Have"
(Band photo by Blackham Images)
