MUSIC
SOWING THE SEEDS Rounding up releases to watch for in 2022 from Jack White, Negro Justice, Erin Rae and many more BY STEPHEN TRAGESER
A
couple of weeks into the new year, the Omicron variant is still adding an element of unpredictability to the big touring plans that many musicians have made for 2022. But FIND LINKS TO CHECK OUT THESE players ARTISTS AND PREORDER THEIR WORK across Music AT NASHVILLESCENE.COM/MUSIC City’s variety of scenes still have a slew of intriguing releases on the docket. To aid you in filling out that new day planner, we’ve rounded up news about forthcoming records from local artists — and local indie labels, some of which are working with artists from all over the U.S. and abroad. Coming up immediately on Jan. 13 is Naturale, the latest solo LP from Joe Kenkel, aka one-third of superb rock band and songwriting outfit Styrofoam Winos (read more about that on p. 29). On Jan. 14, that’ll be followed by Listen to the Blood, the latest from masterful cosmiccountry crooner The Kernal. Hot on their heels is Dominic Billett, known to many as an exceptional drummer. On Jan. 21, he’ll release Lower, his second album of selfproduced ’70s-schooled pop. And on Jan. 28, rising country phenom Morgan Wade releases the deluxe expanded edition of her highly regarded 2021 album Reckless. Fans of Jack White have two full records to look forward to this year. April 8 marks the start of the rock ’n’ roots ace and Third Man Records chief’s international Supply Chain Issues Tour (which stops at Ascend Amphitheater April 30 and May 1), as well as the release of Fear of the Dawn, the first of those two albums. The record opens with a snarling rock rendition of a song called “Taking Me Back.” On July 19, White will release the follow-up LP Entering Heaven Alive, which closes with a swinging acoustic setting of the same lyrics called “Taking Me Back (Gently).” In the world of Nashville hip-hop, there’s always lots of activity around singles, although that didn’t stop the ever-prolific Petty from following up his #53Fridays weekly singles series with the full-length Up From Here on New Year’s Day. Still, word of some additional albums has come along, including the Capitol Minds label planning for TheyNeedWeez’s Definitely Different and a collab from Virghost and KingPin Da’ Composer on Summer in September IV. Those two release dates remain TBA. Top-notch rapper Negro Justice, however, has announced that his debut album Chosen Family will drop on his birthday, March 14. On her past few releases, Molly Tuttle expanded well beyond the bluegrass roots she’s become known for, but she’s leaning back into them. Her new ensemble Molly
28
Tuttle & Golden Highway announced itself as a mostly straightforward ’grass affair in the fall with the rip-roarin’ single “She’ll Change,” and they’re set to release an album this year, date and title TBA. Rockin’ string band Old Crow Medicine Show, meanwhile, has an LP called Paint This Town due April 22. You could say that multifaceted countryrocking outfit Sophie & the Broken Things have been working a long time on their debut album Delusions of Grandeur, which is out Feb. 11. Though the recording was fairly recent, singer-songwriter Sophie Gault has had some version of lead single “Trouble” in her repertoire for about eight years. Feb. 11 marks the release of another album that’s had a long gestation period. Drummer-singer Matt North wrote and recorded his grooving and rollicking Bullies in the Backyard during a sevenyear conflict with Metro Nashville Public Schools about providing services for his son’s special needs. Further in the folk- and country-leaning zone of the pop realm, superlative singersongwriter Erin Rae worked with Father John Misty producer Jonathan Wilson — appropriately enough, at his studio in Topanga Canyon — on her new album Lighten Up, which is out Feb. 4. Westwood Avenue, the country band led by Ryan Jennings and Carter Brallier, has finished up a self-titled album whose release date is TBA; its lead single “Bachelorette Screams” is a duet between Brallier and Rae. Feb. 4 is also release day for Laurel Hell, the latest LP from also-excellent singersongwriter Mitski, who moved here a few years back. Tracks released so far from the record dance a little with post-punk and electronic pop. Going further toward the
pop end of the spectrum, we’ve received intel that we can expect full-lengths from Kid Politics, Zoe Sky Jordan, Conventioner and Phangs, as well as EPs from Ruelle, Olivia Grasso, Alexis Donn and BBYCAKES. Ambling back toward rock, Mountains Like Wax is a shoegaze-splashed project of Mitchell Taylor and Samuel Katz that’s been active around town for several years, and they’re set to release their debut album Before There Was Plenty on a date TBA. Over at the rock-centric Sweet Time, label head Ryan Sweeney notes that a third pressing of ferocious punkers Schizos’ self-titled LP is on the way, expected in the spring. Coming hopefully a bit sooner is a 7-inch from Memphis’ Model Zero, which includes members of garage hero Jack Oblivian’s band The Sheiks. Sweeney also notes that a second edition of the excellent Sweet Time compilation is under construction. When that lands, expect contributions from all over the world but including locals like The Shitdels, Glamper and Ttotals (and another sweet cover from illustrator Katie Turner). Megan Loveless and Jacob Corenflos at To-Go Records have some releases from Nashvillians in the works, as well as a revamped website (not yet live at press time) that will house info on their releases as well as their handy Nashville Show To-Go Menu of local concert listings. However, the only release that’s confirmed so far is the debut EP from Louisville, Ky., psych rockers Routine Caffeine. Title and date are TBA, but it will include the singles “Closet” and “Pennies in the Garden.” Several of To-Go’s artists and associates played at the now-dormant countryside DIY space Foxwood, which hosted shows organized by singer-songwriter Jess Awh
and friends. Bats, Awh’s project inspired by country, bedroom pop and more, is set to release its second full-length The Blue Cabinet on Feb. 18. There is no release date yet, however, for Reinvention No. 1, on which Coupler’s Ryan Norris reimagines and reworks the music that his YK Records labelmate Paul Horton, aka No.Stress, made for his 2021 EP Prelude No. 1. In a similar vein, Mike Mannix from outstanding indie Centripetal Force says Nashville Ambient Ensemble, whose great Cerulean he released in 2021, has new music on the way. But there are few details Mannix can divulge at present about that or any other records from Nashville artists he works with. However, Centripetal Force has an array of projects on the burner that cross national borders. Those include a physical release (a split with U.K. label Cardinal Fuzz) planned for January of Telepathic Radio, a wide-ranging psych record from Joe Freedman’s project Mirage; cassette and digital releases in March of work from free-form U.S. psych collective Dire Wolves and Washington, D.C.-based fingerstyle guitarist Jon Camp; and a vinyl release (also hopefully in March; also split with Cardinal Fuzz) from Velvets-inspired U.K. rock group Slow Dawn. In April, Mannix aims to release the first U.S. record for Swedish psych rockers Kungens Män, which he hopes will finally bring the band (which tours extensively in Europe) to the U.S. One thing you can count on with some degree of certainty is that there’ll be many, many more worthwhile releases from Nashvillians to dig into this year. Keep an eye on the print edition of the Scene each week and on nashvillescene.com/music for more details as they emerge. EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM
NASHVILLE SCENE | JANUARY 13 – JANUARY 19, 2022 | nashvillescene.com
music_1-13-21.indd 28
1/10/22 11:50 AM