California punk rock outfit, Lagwagon is set to release it’s eighth studio album on Oct. 28, 2014 through Fat Wreck Chords entitled Hang. This will be their first full-length album in nine years – since 2005’s Resolve. The tour to support the new record kicks off on Nov. 6, 2014 in San Diego, with support from fellow punk veterans Swingin’ Utters and This Legend.
Drums were recorded at the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, CO with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore. Guitars, bass, vocals, overdubs were moved to Orangewood Studios in Santa Barbara with Thom Flowers and Angus Cooke, Cape’s band mates in his project Bad Astronaut.
The current line-up has been together for practically sixteen years of the bands quarter century existence so the new record will have elements of various parts of other albums. Front man Joey Cape has typically written and pre-arranged their music before bringing it to the rest of the band, but admits the process for Hang was more collaborative.
“To me it’s different than any record we’ve ever made but in a good way, in a really good way,” Joey says enthusiastically about the new album. “This recording process was more collaborative than anything else we’ve done.”
He says he brought the entire band to the table early on to find out what they collectively wanted to do.
“As a band, it’s the only time I can say everyone in the band loves the record. Even I, as the songwriter, usually have some regrets.” His one regret is making the 45 acoustic intro about thirty seconds too long, a minor detail in the grand scheme of creating a record.
Even though Cape writes the songs and has figurative veto power on most of the changes made to their songs, something different happened with this recording process where he simply did-not care.
“I just wanted everybody in the band to love what we were doing and it worked. It worked really well.”
Joey admits the central themes are more politically charged than previous releases that contained more sorrowful and melancholy lyrics. This time, after touring two and a half years ago to support the release of their box-set and a light bulb illuminated over The Caper’s head:
“We were only playing older songs and all the early stuff. I think playing that for a few years reminded me where we come from. Then you combine that with where you are now and looking at different people you play with. It’s just a very strange thing. I never wrote a record as political as this one. It’s a pretty angry record.”
The band gave fans a chance to preview the new record through Pandora. You can currently stream Lagwagon’s new record Hang, in its entirety & for free on Pandora Premieres by clicking HERE!
Pre-order Hang through Fat Wreck Chords by clicking HERE!
Lagwagon – Hang
1.) Burden of Proof
2.) Reign
3.) Made of Broken Parts
4.) The Cog in the Machine
5.) Poison In The Well
6.) Obsolete Absolute
7.) Western Settlements
8.) Burning Out In Style
9.) One More Song
10.) Drag
11.) You Know Me
12.) In Your Wake
Lagwagon Links:
Lagwagon Website
Lagwagon Facebook
Article by: Blake Taylor
