Perhaps by now you've heard Andrew Jackson Jihad's new album, Christmas Island. The official release date is May 6, but the band released the entire album onto YouTube a few days ago (see below). Check it out. We're sure you'll be hearing all about it shortly.
The album offers more of AJJ's signature cerebral folk-punk, and every song journeys into different sonic territory. Sharp, self-deprecating lyrics, such as "It's harder to define love / I've gotta drink more if I wanna catch a buzz / The older I get, the more articulate I am at whining," fill the album from start to finish. But the lyrics don't overshadow the music, as is the fate of so many brainy folk singers. The songwriting is full of twists and curves, and there are few predictable moments on the album.
See also: Christmas in May: Andrew Jackson Jihad to release new album
The album is Andrew Jackson Jihad's fifth. The Phoenix-birthed band has spent the past year recording the album and touring with Frank Turner. The band also signed to a new label, Los Angeles-based SideOneDummy.
The band doesn't have any Phoenix dates coming up (to be fair, they played a "secret" show at Trunk Space on April 6) until an August 1 homecoming at Crescent Ballroom. The band will spend the interim headlining venues across the U.S. and Canada, backed by Cheap Girls, Hard Girls, and Dogbreth.
Meanwhile, it seems that lead singer Sean Bonnette can't wait to get back to the Valley.
"I can't wait to move back. Now I just feel sad that I can't participate in what's going on more," Bonnette told our own Troy Farah, adding that whenever he does visit, he heads straight to Jobot. "I like the fact that [Phoenix is] constantly changing. . . That's kind of the nature of Phoenix. That it burns down, then it comes back to life. I've always enjoyed kind of seeing that happen in Phoenix . . . I like that if you want to do something interesting or cool, there's not really a whole lot stopping you."
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