For Immediate Release
June 16, 2021
HEARTLESS BASTARDS RETURN WITH A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
ACCLAIMED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND UNVEIL FIRST NEW ALBUM IN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AND ANNOUNCE FALL 2021 U.S. TOUR
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR SOULFUL FIRST SINGLE,
"HOW LOW"
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE ARRIVES ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
VIA SWEET UNKNOWN RECORDS/THIRTY TIGERS
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Photo Credit: Aaron Conway / DOWNLOAD Hi-res photo
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Acclaimed rock ’n’ roll band Heartless Bastards have announced the release of their long-awaited new album. A Beautiful Life arrives via Sweet Uknown Records/Thirty Tigers on Friday, September 10. The album is available now for pre-order including a limited edition hand-poured double LP and exclusive merchandise from the Sweet Unknown Records Official Store, and from retailers everywhere.
Heartless Bastards’ sixth studio album and first new music in more than half a decade, A Beautiful Life is heralded by today’s premiere of the soulful new single, "How Low," available now at all DSPs and streaming services; an official music video premieres today via YouTube.
"It’s becoming harder and harder to choose a simple life; so many people struggle to get ahead so they don’t get left behind,” says Heartless Bastards frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom. "I believe that a truly elevated, conscious society is one that seeks to lift each other up—one where we work for the common good."
On the new single, Wennerstrom says, "'How Low' was inspired by my frustration with late-stage capitalism's effect on humanity and our environment. The planet sustains our lives, but if we continue to make everything we use disposable to where we have to constantly buy things over and over again, and we pollute, we’re going to wipe ourselves out in the not too distant future. Profits have been put far ahead of what is good for humanity. We’re all trying to get by in this world, but at what cost? We need a better system, one where we work for the common good. Today's prevalent mental health issues are definitely tied to this every man for himself mentality. It’s very isolating, people are longing for deep connections. Maybe a balanced society seems idyllic, but let’s dare to dream of a better world and all the possibilities If we all stop fighting amongst ourselves, and look at the bigger picture. 'How Low' felt like a challenging message to convey in a 4-minute video, but I think Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein did an incredible job."
A Beautiful Life once again sees Wennerstrom alchemizing her idealism into viscerally potent rock ‘n ‘ roll. Co-produced by Wennerstrom and Kevin Ratterman (Strand Of Oaks, Jim James, White Reaper), the album – which follows 2015’s Restless Ones – finds the Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter backed by a powerhouse lineup comprising guitarist Lauren Gurgiolo (Okkervil River), drummer Greggory Clifford (White Denim), multi-instrumentalist Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake), keyboardist Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), guitarist David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin), and longtime Heartless Bastards bassist Jesse Ebaugh.
Though Wennerstrom first considered releasing A Beautiful Life under her own name as the follow-up to her widely praised 2018 solo debut, Sweet Unknown, she ultimately came to view the new album as a continuation of the journey begun on Heartless Bastards’ milestone 2005 debut, Stairs and Elevators. Indeed, with its coalescence of so many eclectic touchstones – from French pop and Celtic folk to space rock, Disney scores, and post-punk – A Beautiful Life stands tall as Heartless Bastards’ most elaborately realized work to date. Songs such as the sprawling, psychedelic epic, “Photograph” and the rambling folk of “The River” (the latter featuring contributions from such singular musicians as Andrew Bird and Persian setar virtuoso Fared Shafinury) channel Wennerstrom’s nuanced observations into glorious music that incites contemplation, catharsis, and a joyful sense of defiance.
"For me, music is a gift," says Wennerstrom. "I do it because I love it, and because it helps me feel more connected to the world. I think we all long for a deep connection, and I hope this record adds to the conversation on how we as a species can stop seeing ourselves as separate. I hope it helps everyone to think about how we can look out for each other, take care of each other, and lift each other up."
A Beautiful Life also includes Heartless Bastards’ 2020 single, “Revolution,” available now on all digital platforms. An official music video – directed by documentary filmmakers Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein – is streaming now on YouTube.
The undeniable musical chemistry of A Beautiful Life inspired Wennerstrom to invite Gurgiolo and Clifford into the newest Heartless Bastards lineup for upcoming touring, set to get underway Thursday, September 16. The band recently made its live debut with a sold-out two-night-stand at Austin’s beloved Mohawk Austin, hailed by the Austin Chronicle as “front-loaded with fresh, interesting material…If you didn’t know better, you’d think the improbably tight unit had been playing together for five years.” Artist pre-sale tickets are on sale at noon Eastern today at www.theheartlessbastards.com/tour; venue on-sale is this Friday at 10am local times.
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Photo Credit: Aaron Conway / DOWNLOAD Hi-res photo
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HEARTLESS BASTARDS TOUR 2021
Sep 16, 2021 - Stickyz - Little Rock, AR
Sep 17, 2021 - The Blue Note - Columbia, MO
Sep 18, 2021 - Off Broadway Nightclub - St. Louis, MO
Sep 19, 2021 - 3rd & Lindsley Lightning 100 Sunday Show - Nashville, TN
Sep 22, 2021 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN
Sep 23, 2021 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
Sep 24, 2021 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
Sep 25, 2021 - Madison Theater - Covington, KY
Sep 27, 2021 - Mr. Small's Theatre - Millvale, PA
Sep 29, 2021 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
Sep 30, 2021 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Oct 1, 2021 - World Cafe Live Downstairs - Philadelphia, PA
Oct 2, 2021 - Union Stage - Washington, DC
Oct 4, 2021 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Oct 5, 2021 - Smith's Olde Bar - Atlanta, GA
Oct 7, 2021 - The Heights Theater - Houston, TX
Oct 8, 2021 - Austin City Limits Festival - Austin, TX
Oct 29, 2021 - Gruene Hall - New Braunfels, TX
Oct 30, 2021 - Tower Theatre - Oklahoma City, OK
Oct 31, 2021 - Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery - Santa Fe, NM
Nov 1, 2021 - 191 Toole - Tucson, AZ
Nov 3, 2021 - Belly Up Tavern - Solana Beach, CA
Nov 4, 2021 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA
Nov 5, 2021 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
Nov 6, 2021 - Starline Social Club Ballroom - Oakland, CA
Nov 8, 2021 - Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub - Sacramento, CA
Nov 9, 2021 - Arcata Theatre Lounge - Arcata, CA
Nov 11, 2021 - Sessions Music Hall - Eugene, OR
Nov 12, 2021 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
Nov 13, 2021 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA
Nov 14, 2021 - The Wilma - Missoula, MT
Nov 15, 2021 - The ELM - Bozeman, MT
Nov 17, 2021 - The State Room - Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 19, 2021 - Aggie Theatre - Fort Collins, CO
Nov 20, 2021 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
Nov 21, 2021 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
Nov 24, 2021 - The Kessler Theater - Dallas, TX
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HEARTLESS BASTARDS
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
(Sweet Unknown Records/Thirty Tigers)
Release Date: Friday, September 10
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TRACKLIST for A BEAUTIFUL LIFE LP:
1.Revolution
2. How Low
3. You Never Know
4. When I Was Younger
5. The River
6. Photograph
7. A Beautiful Life
8. Dust
9. Went Around The World
10. It Doesn’t Matter Now
11. The Thinker
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BIO
On the new album A Beautiful Life, Heartless Bastards share a wide-eyed and radiant vision for harmonizing a broken world. The Ohio-bred band’s first new music since 2015’s Restless Ones, A Beautiful Life affirms frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom as a songwriter with the power to profoundly influence our state of mind, often by alchemizing her idealism into viscerally potent rock-and-roll songs. With its delicate coalescence of so many eclectic touchstones—French pop and Celtic folk, space rock and symphonic pop, Disney scores and post-punk—the result is an album that immediately lures the listener into a more receptive mindset, one that leads to deeper generosity, greater compassion, and a restored sense of possibility.
Co-produced by Wennerstrom and Kevin Ratterman (Strand Of Oaks, Jim James, White Reaper), A Beautiful Life finds Wennerstrom joining forces with the likes of guitarist Lauren Gurgiolo (Okkervil River), drummer Greggory Clifford (White Denim), multi-instrumentalist Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake), keyboardist Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), guitarist David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin), and longtime Heartless Bastards bassist Jesse Ebaugh. Although she debated releasing A Beautiful Life as a solo effort (as with 2018’s Sweet Unknown), the Austin-based singer/songwriter ultimately conceived the album as a continuation of the journey begun on the band’s breathlessly acclaimed 2005 debut Stairs and Elevators. “I loved the last iteration of Heartless Bastards so much—they’re like family—but the stars weren’t aligning for us to reconvene on this record,” says Wennerstrom. “As the record came together I realized it’s always been my project, and I was determined to continue forth with that. I had so much faith in these songs and in myself, and in many ways it feels like a rebirth.”
Like many timeless songwriters before her, Wennerstrom channels her nuanced observation of the outside world into music that incites contemplation, catharsis, and a joyful sense of defiance. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the material goals that are prioritized by our society and the every-man-for-himself mentality of late-stage capitalism,” Wennerstrom says of the album’s central themes. “That way of thinking presents a false idea of what a beautiful life is, and I think it’s so important that we as individuals all ask ourselves what it truly means to have a beautiful life.”
Throughout A Beautiful Life, Heartless Bastards guide their audience through an unhurried pondering of that very question, an exploration that begins with the soulfully expressed frustration of songs like “How Low.” “It’s becoming harder and harder to choose a simple life; so many people struggle to get ahead so they don’t get left behind,” says Wennerstrom, who names the Jackson 5 as a key inspiration for the track’s jangly R&B grooves. “I believe that a truly elevated, conscious society is one that seeks to lift each other up—one where we work for the common good.” On “You Never Know,” the band brings in elements of Brazilian bossa nova and yé-yé, arriving at a sweetly spirited anthem against jadedness. “As we get older and experience the pain of certain plans not working out, we can build up walls to protect ourselves,” Wennerstrom says. “This song is a reminder to stay open, stay present, and keep taking chances.”
One of the most hypnotic moments on A Beautiful Life, “Photograph” unfolds as a sprawling psych-rock epic, speaking to the urgency of unconditional compassion. “There’s an extreme divide that’s developed in our society, but underneath it all I think we all want the same things,” says Wennerstrom. “One of the biggest challenges I’ve dealt with is learning that I can’t control the energy that comes at me, but I can control my reaction, and try to take a compassionate approach with everyone.” And on “Went Around The World,” Heartless Bastards elegantly merge hip-hop beats and high-drama strings in a mesmerizing meditation on the inherent connectedness of all life. “I’ve toured for years and backpacked around in my off time, and through experiencing new situations I’ve gotten to know parts of myself I’d never known,” says Wennerstrom. “It’s reinforced for me that it doesn’t matter what our race or religion is, or whether we’re male or female, straight or LGBTQ—we’re all connected to each other, and to the planet that sustains us. It’s all family.”
In the making of Heartless Bastards’ most elaborately realized body of work to date, Wennerstrom immersed herself in a highly experimental process that sometimes involved breathing new life into song fragments she’d first created decades ago. “There are little pieces of songs that I’ve had in my head for 20 years, and that finally found their place on this album,” she notes. As she dreamed up A Beautiful Life’s finely detailed yet free-flowing sound, Wennerstrom repeatedly wandered down what she lovingly refers to as rabbit tunnels. “I call them tunnels instead of rabbit holes, because they take me somewhere instead of leaving me stuck,” she says. “I allowed myself to really feel my way through things, trusting that I was going to get to where we needed to go. I never abandoned my vision, and because of that the album became everything I hoped it would be and then some.”
After recording some of the basic tracking for A Beautiful Life with Danny Reisch in Austin, Wennerstrom headed to Ratterman’s Invisible Creature studio in Los Angeles, assembling such singular musicians as Andrew Bird and Persian setar virtuoso Fared Shafinury (both of whom contributed to the wildly rambling folk of “The River”). “I made sure to pick people whose style I knew would be a perfect fit for these songs—that way I could tell them, ‘Hey, I just want you to be you,’” she says. As the album took shape, Wennerstrom and her collaborators discovered an undeniable chemistry that led her to invite Clifford and guitarist Gurgiolo into the lineup for Heartless Bastards’ upcoming live shows, marking the start of an exciting new era for the band.
For the final track to A Beautiful Life, Heartless Bastards chose a slow-burning piece called “The Thinker,” a gently galvanizing plea to “see the beauty in everything.” “There’s a line in that song that sums up the whole album for me: ‘I did it all for love and I’d do it again,’” says Wennerstrom. “For me music is a gift—I do it because I love it, and because it helps me feel more connected to the world. I think we all long for a deep connection, and I hope this record adds to the conversation on how we as a species can stop seeing ourselves as separate. I hope it helps everyone to think about how we can look out for each other, take care of each other, and lift each other up.”
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