For Immediate Release
July 16, 2021

HEARTLESS BASTARDS
SHARE NEW SONG
“PHOTOGRAPH” - LISTEN

ACCLAIMED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND HERALD FIRST ALBUM IN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS WITH EMPATHETIC NEW SINGLE

AUSTIN, TX RESIDENCY BEGINS AUGUST 6

U.S. HEADLINE TOUR BEGINS SEPTEMBER 16 IN LITTLE ROCK, AR

A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
ARRIVES VIA SWEET UNKNOWN RECORDS/THIRTY TIGERS
ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Photo Credit: Anna Webber / DOWNLOAD Hi-res photo
Acclaimed rock ’n’ roll band Heartless Bastards have announced today’s premiere of “Photograph,” the latest single from their eagerly awaited new album, A Beautiful Life. On the new track, Heartless Bastards frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom says:

"Photograph is about building bridges. We have to approach each other with love and give each other some room to grow. When we went into the studio the song was conceptual in form, and with its complicated structure, I wasn’t even sure it was going to work. I put trust in my instincts and had faith it was all going to translate. There weren’t a lot of rehearsals leading up to it. It was fresh and exciting to dive right in. There can be a lot of magic in those moments where you’re vulnerably finding your way through a new song and the recording light is on. Having the brilliant musicianship of Jesse Ebaugh, Greg Clifford, and Lauren Gurgiolo was monumental. Lauren and I trading leads over a psychedelic landscape might be one of my favorite musical moments to date.  It was everything I hoped it would be and then some. I really feel the stars aligned and we created something really special."


Heartless Bastards’ sixth studio album and first new music in more than half a decade, A Beautiful Life arrives via Sweet Unknown Records/Thirty Tigers on Friday, September 10; pre-orders are available now, including a limited edition hand-poured double LP and special merchandise available exclusively from the Sweet Unknown Records Official Store.

PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

LIMITED EDITION VINYL AND EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE ARE AVAILABLE HERE

A Beautiful Life was heralded last month with the soulful new single, “How Low,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services; an official music video – directed by documentary filmmakers Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein – is streaming via YouTube. “How Low” was met by instant acclaim, with Rolling Stone declaring it to be “a satisfying summer song — with a deeper message in its lyrics,” further noting how the song’s companion video “juxtaposes the vacuous Instagram life with images of poverty, natural disaster, and ultimately acts of kindness.”

LISTEN TO “HOW LOW”
WATCH “HOW LOW”

A Beautiful Life once again sees Heartless Bastards founder Erika 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 – also directed by Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein – is streaming now at YouTube HERE.

LISTEN TO “REVOLUTION”
WATCH “REVOLUTION”

The passionate energy and undeniable musical chemistry of A Beautiful Life inspired Wennerstrom to invite Gurgiolo and Clifford into the Heartless Bastards lineup for their upcoming live schedule, set to get underway September 16 at Stickyz in Little Rock, AR and then travel through late November. Due to demand in sales, Heartless Bastards at The State Room in Salt Lake City is being moved to The Commonwealth Room. 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.”

Building upon the amazing night they had at the Mohawk, Heartless Bastards have now announced a weekly residency in Austin for the month of August. "It’s been a rough year and a half for venues and we thought supporting some of our local spots would be a great way to warm up for tour,” says Wennerstrom. “We’ll be playing every Friday at C-Boys, and every Saturday at The Continental accompanied by some of our dear friends. With preparing to release the bands sixth record we have no shortage of material to make each night unique, and it’s been just as much fun to revisit the old material as it will be to share with you the new record. After 2020 it’s been hard to even put into words the gratitude we all have for the opportunity to perform music again, and it’s something we don’t want to ever take for granted.” For updates and ticket availability, please visit www.theheartlessbastards.com/tour.
Photo Credit: Aaron Conway / DOWNLOAD Hi-res photo
HEARTLESS BASTARDS TOUR 2021


AUGUST AUSTIN, TX RESIDENCY
6 - C Boys - w/ Josh T Pearson
7 - The Continental Club- w/ Buffalo Nichols
13 - C Boys- w/ Calder Allen
14 - The Continental Club- w/ Buffalo Hunt
20 - C Boys - w/ Joseph M
21 - The Continental Club w/ Marmalakes
27- C Boys - w/ Little Mazarn
28 - The Continental Club - w/ Ghost Wolves

SEPTEMBER
16 – Little Rock, AR – Stickyz
17 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
18 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway Nightclub
19– Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley Lightning 100 Sunday Show
22 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
23 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
24 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
25 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater
27 – Millvale, PA – Mr. Small's Theatre
29 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
30 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom

OCTOBER
1– Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live Downstairs
2 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
4 – Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
5 – Atlanta, GA – Smith's Olde Bar
7 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
8 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Festival
9 – Kerrville, TX – Kerrville Folk Festival
29 – New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall
30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
31 – Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery

NOVEMBER
1 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
3 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
4 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
5 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
6 – Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club Ballroom
8 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub
9 – Arcata, CA – Arcata Theatre Lounge
11 – Eugene, OR – Sessions Music Hall
12 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
13 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
14 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
15 – Bozeman, MT – The ELM
17 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room
19 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
20 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
21 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
24 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater

# # #

EUROPEAN TOUR 2022

JANUARY
24 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms
25 - Bristol, UK - Exchange
26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
27 - Glasgow, UK - Mono
28 - Newcastle, UK - Cluny 2
29 - Liverpool, UK - District
30 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute

FEBRUARY
1 - London, UK - Oslo
2 - Paris, FR - FGO
3 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Rotonde
4 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (Upstairs)
6 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Skybar
7 - Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia
8 - Munich, DE - Kranhalle
10 - Vienna, AT - Chelsea

HEARTLESS BASTARDS
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
(Sweet Unknown Records/Thirty Tigers)
Release Date: Friday, September 10
Photo Credit: Aaron Conway / DOWNLOAD Hi-res photo
DOWNLOAD Hi-res album art
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
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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