On the heels of announcing a 19-date tour with Frank Turner, acclaimed singer/songwriter Amigo the Devil today released “Once Upon a Time at Texaco (pt. 1),” the third single from the forthcoming studio album Yours Until the War is Over, set to release Feb. 23, 2024 via Liars Club Records.
Echoing the timbre of a raucous bar chant, “Once Upon a Time at Texaco (pt. 1)” tells a Coen brothers-esque narrative of an unhinged robbery gone wrong. Leave it to Amigo the Devil to weave a cohesive story with Cher lyrics, magician jokes and murder while referencing traditional comedic and tragic philosophies.
I’m guessing that you all feel like a hostage
But I’m sure it feels nice to be held
Danny Kiranos said of his songwriting process: “When I write stories, I usually visualize the scenery and atmosphere of it before analyzing the words or circumstances. Most of those initial instincts with color and temperament directly relate to how the concept of the physical music that’s written up to that point makes me feel. I remember the initial lead banjo line was the first part written and I kept thinking that it was genuinely fun but dry and completely unpredictable. None of that has to make sense in that moment, just that it has to be accepted for what it is. After that part is dialed, the story writes itself if you let it. I think the end result is incredibly indicative of those initial reactions within.”
“Once Upon a Time at Texaco (pt. 1)” was leaked to fans early when Amigo the Devil shared a ridiculous commercial for his previous single “The Mechanic,” where Kiranos plays a washed up mechanic who directs viewers to a phone number for help. Those who picked up on the Easter Egg rang a phone in Danny’s possession with a voicemail that directed folks to a secret lyric video for “Once Upon a Time at Texaco (pt. 1)” prior to the song’s release. Watch HERE.
Recorded in a basement bar-turned-studio in the middle of Tennessee, Yours Until the War is Over is the first studio album by Amigo the Devil that was entirely produced, recorded and engineered in-house. The album title is a reference to Ernest Hemmingway’s entanglement with Agnes von Kurowsky, who would sign love letters to him during WWII as “yours until the war is over.” Conjured from the mood of handwritten desires, songs thread together thought-provoking tales of trauma bonding.
These new songs by Amigo the Devil are unconventional in their approach to songwriting. Consequence praised the album’s lead single “Cannibal Within” for its “sparse banjo, haunted clink-clank percussion, and gripping poeticism” and said that “The Mechanic” encapsulates what makes Amigo the Devil’s songwriting special: “folk-shaped melodies supporting plainspoken lyrics that face truth squarely, without pathos.”
Amigo the Devil will perform extensively in 2024 in support of the new music. A 23-date tour with Flogging Molly kicks off Feb. 16 at Foxwood Resort Casino in Connecticut and will travel coast-to-coast to 19 states with a final stop in Las Vegas for Flogging Molly’s Shamrock Festival. Amigo the Devil then join Frank Turner for a nearly month-long tour beginning May 28 at the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA. Tour highlights include Chicago, IL May 31 at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom; a two-night run in Denver June 3-4 at Summit Music Hall; San Francisco, CA June 10 at the Recency Ballroom; Austin, TX June 14 at Emo’s; and Atlanta, GA June 17 at Buckhead Theatre before the run concludes in Philadelphia June 22 at the Fillmore.
Other 2024 tour highlights will include 2000 Trees festival in England July 10-13 and Bourbon & Beyond Sept. 19-22 in Louisville, KY.
To pre-order Yours Until the War is Over, visit amigothedevil.com. Read more about the life and career of Amigo the Devil HERE.