8/20/2021

Heartless Bastards share new single "You Never Know" + video, out now | First album in 5 years


HEARTLESS BASTARDS
SHARE NEW SONG + VIDEO
"YOU NEVER KNOW"
OUT NOW


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

AUSTIN, TX RESIDENCY DURING AUGUST

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 
Acclaimed rock ’n’ roll band Heartless Bastards have announced today’s premiere of "You Never Know," the latest single from their eagerly awaited new album, A Beautiful Life. The new song comes with a cinematic and aesthetically pleasing video, complete with a love story, a zebra and expressive face paint. On the fresh offering from the forthcoming LP, Heartless Bastards frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom says:

"When I wrote "You Never Know," I imagined it being in "Moonrise Kingdom," the Wes Anderson film, even though the movie has already been made. There’s a sense of adventure and innocence that youth embodies whether it’s with love or goals and dreams. This song is a reminder to stay open. Life is short. Take chances."


“Photograph,” the previously released single is all about "building bridges," according to Wennerstrom. The way in which people approach each other is the core message and if love is chosen as a form of contact, and grace is given with spaciousness for growth, there's real magic that can happen in relationships -- and of course, a lot of healing. Vulnerability is the key.


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 personally invite a hand-picked band 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 
HEARTLESS BASTARDS TOUR 2021


AUGUST AUSTIN, TX RESIDENCY
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 

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