It's been awhile since we last heard from alt-rock favorites Band of Horses, but today, the band announced Things Are Great, their first new album in over five years.
The follow-up to 2016's Why Are You OK, Things Are Great is set for a January 21, 2022 release via BMG, and features production or co-production from lead singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell on each of its 10 songs.
The lyric video for its first single – the warmly tuneful Crutch – can be streamed below.
A welcome return from the band – now comprised of Bridwell, electric guitar player Ian MacDougall, bassist Matt Gentling, Ryan Monroe on keys and longtime drummer Creighton Barrett – Crutch cleverly hides the anxious ruminations of its lyrics behind a breezy wall of sun-soaked acoustic strums and the sort of simple, ringing electric lead hook that this quintet has long specialized in.
“I think like a lot of my songs, Crutch starts with something from my real life," Bridwell said of the song in a statement. "Obviously Crutch means some of the things that I was dependent on – my relationship for one.
"I think I wanted to say, ‘I’ve got a crush on you,’ and I thought it was funny how relationships also feel like crutches. I feel like everybody has had a time when nothing goes right and you still have to carry on. I think that feeling hits you in this song even if you don’t know what the specifics are.”
You can examine Things Are Great's cover art and tracklist below, and pre-order the album at Band of Horses' website.
Band of Horses – Things Are Great:
- Warning Signs
- Crutch
- Tragedy of the Commons
- In The Hard Times
- In Need of Repair
- Aftermath
- Lights
- Ice Night We’re Having
- You Are Nice To Me
- Coalinga
