Greenbeard Announce New Album Variant Out April 1
Oh, Greenbeard. You do persist in being rad. New record? First single? That’s good news. And I’m pretty sure I’m catching Misfits references in the lyrics to the song, so right on. What I’m digging even more than the reassuringly riff-led groove of “Exodus,” though is the breadth of the song itself. Think of spacious rock like Snail, or some of Masters of Reality‘s weirder stuff (though this is clearer-headed), and Greenbeard seem to be finding a balance between good-vibes and more complex fare. In the PR wire info accompanying the album announcement the making-plain that the title Variant was chosen prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the band talk about getting weirder. I’m on board for weird. Let’s find out where it goes.
Sailor Records has the domestic release, Kozmik Artifactz has Europe, and you’ll find the aforementioned info below, in blue as ever and followed by the video:
GREENBEARD: Austin Stoner Rock Unit To Release New Full-Length, Variant, on April 1st Via Sailor Records/Kozmik Artifactz; Teaser Video Now Playing
Nearly three years since first setting foot in the studio, Austin, Texas stoner rocker frontrunners GREENBEARD will unveil their long-awaited new full-length, Variant, on April 1st via Sailor Records in the US and Kozmik Artifactz in Europe.
The serendipitously named album was subject to a long incubation period, due largely to Covid-related challenges, as well as lineup changes and industry-wide delays in vinyl production. Nevertheless, Variant emerges as a valiant tribute to new directions, creative experimentation, and engagement with the wider musical community. The album represents a departure in sound for the group, which has traditionally been situated squarely at the intersection of desert and stoner rock. Songs incorporate significant soul and R&B influences, with crooning vocal interludes and surprise instrumentation, while still tapping into their heavy stoner roots.
“Wanting to blend stoner rock and soul, we entered into the recording process with a collaborative mindset, leaving room for the process to unfold in the studio,” remarks GREENBEARD frontman, Chance Parker.
In advance of the record’s release, the band unveils, “Exodus,” the first in a trilogy of singles leading up to Variant’s drop date. Notes Parker, “We chose ‘Exodus’ as the first single because it works as a Trojan horse for all the weird stuff we are about to unload on this album.”
Having begun production in 2018, GREENBEARD set forth wanting to depart from the stereotypical derivatives of stoner rock and chose to take elements of soul music with them into the studio. They brought in layers of strings, slide guitar, horns, and sonorous melodies to realize this vision.
Suddenly Covid-19 struck. The band was unable to play live shows, and their support tour with Texas legends …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead was cancelled. Their former bassist departed, another was hired, then left to look for work in Hawaii. However, in the midst of all these changes, Pat Seals (Flyleaf, Kimberly Dunn, Belle & The Dragon) joined the band, bringing signature energy to their stage performances. The band then brought on Joe Samson as second guitarist, rounding out their lineup. The new album represents an openness to change and a melding of minds.
Stand by for Variant artwork, preorders, and further info to be announced in the coming weeks.
GREENBEARD:
Chance Parker – guitar/vocals
Buddy Hachar – drums
Pat Seals – bass
Joe Samson – guitar
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