Jack White has unveiled another single from his upcoming album Entering Heaven Alive – the hypnotically moody If I Die Tomorrow.
It’s the latest effort from what will be White’s second album of the year, following the release of the fuzz-fueled, electric guitar-drenched Fear of the Dawn back in April.
If I Die Tomorrow is yet more evidence of Entering Heaven Alive’s laid-back, softer sonic direction, relying on a minor-driven acoustic guitar progression that is decorated with a spread of sumptuous strums and quirky decorative melodies.
There’s a guitar solo in there, too, which further showcases this softer, more subdued side to White’s guitar playing. Tapping into a clean twang, the White Stripes legend leans heavily on descending arpeggio motifs, which are executed by way of some serene pull-offs.
Entering Heaven Alive will arrive July 22 via Third Man Records, and has previously been previewed by the equally soothing Love Is Selfish and Taking Me Back (Gently) – the latter of which is a folk reimagining of Fear of the Dawn’s hard-hitting Taking Me Back.
Speaking to Guitar World recently, White reflected upon establishing the distinct sonic differences between Entering Heaven Alive and Fear of the Dawn, saying the “heavy” stuff was reserved for the first release.
He said: “This is the first time where it was like, ‘Wow, this song is so heavy and this song is so soft and melancholy. They cannot go next to each other on a record.’ On my computer, I had softer songs on one playlist, and the harder songs were on another. So it was kind of simple – the songs divided themselves up.”
Due to this, we can’t imagine White’s bonkers new Fender Jazzmaster – the one that has been kitted out with the circuit of an Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork pitch-shifter – saw much action on Entering Heaven Alive.
White is currently in the midst of his mega Supply Chain Issues tour, which commenced back in April. He’s next slated to play tonight (June 8) at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, before performing three consecutive nights from June 10 in Utah, Colorado and Nebraska.
For a full list of tour dates – and to preorder Entering Heaven Alive – head over to White’s website.
