Longstanding California rock band STRUNG OUT are pleased to present the music video for their new single "Under The Western Sky." Directed by vocalist Jason Cruz, the clip for "Under The Western Sky" gives a generous nod to one of the great American filmmakers of our time as well as one of the major themes that extends through the band's forthcoming album, Songs of Armor and Devotion (pre-order).
"'Under the Western Sky' was inspired by the films of David Lynch and my favorite subject: America," Cruz says. "I have neither pride nor disdain for the environment I was raised and continue to create in. The things I see and feel are all just colors on a palette to be used any way I see fit."
Produced by Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Megadeth), Songs of Armor and Devotion, Strung Out's new studio album out on Friday, August 9, is a record that brims with the same ferocious fire the band had at the very start of its career close to 30 years ago when frontman Jason Cruzwas still a teenager, but which also demonstrates how far its members have evolved as songwriters, musicians and people. Watch the video for "Under The Western Sky" on YouTube HERE and stream it on Spotify HERE.
Watch here:
Additionally, Strung Out has recently announced its upcoming Songs of Armor and Devotion fall North American tour. Extending from the middle of September through the 23rd of November, the band will be hitting the road with support from The Casualties and visit markets such as Atlanta, GA on September 22, New York, NY on September 28, Montreal, QC on October 2, Chicago, IL on October 10, Vancouver, BC on November 1 Austin, TX on November 10, Las Vegas, NV on November 13, San Francisco, CA on November 17, and many more. A full listing of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now. More information can be found on the band's websiteHERE.
Songs of Armor and Devotion was created out an inherent need for Strung Out frontmanJason Cruz to reveal his fresh feelings on loss, the current state of America, and his continued drive to further his connection with fans through more dynamic, and evolved, songwriting. It's a punk record, but it's also much more than that. It's a political record that addresses the state we're in, but at its core maintains a belief that humanity overrides everything. It's pain and sadness and hope and rebellion all wrapped into one powerful statement that also serves as a culmination of the band's three decades together.
"Some songs can be armor: they can repel and they can guard you," explains Cruz. "And they can also bring you comfort and speak of love and belonging to something. To be a good and gentle person, you have to put up a little bit of armor, but that armor never works, because you're so caring and sensitive and vulnerable that your heart is going to be displayed on that armor anyway. There are so many thoughts and feelings in my head that I just opened up the pen and let it go so I could explore the duality of having to defend and protect what's inside, and at the same time make it available for the world."
Ideas flow throughout this record both musically and thematically, the vulnerability and uncertainty of Cruz's lyrics lying in stark contrast to the fierce, pummeling nature of its songs. That juxtaposition has always been present in Strung Out's songs, but for this record, that push-and-pull has become the central basis and focus as his heart and thoughts struggle to make sense of the chaos of the world at large. That's not to say this album has the answers, but in analyzing everything, it offers the listener - and Cruz himself - the various contradictory paths of life that, hopefully, can lead to some kind of truth or understanding.
All those thoughts and feelings swirl together on this record as Cruz - who refers to himself and his vulnerability as the "flesh in the machine" - tries to find some sort of resolution. "Daggers" tells a story of personal turmoil within the backdrop of an increasingly dystopian America, while the grief and sadness contained with "Monuments" is offset by the pulsating, defiant frenzy of the song's tune. "Disappearing City" blends a raucous energy with a sense of resignation but - importantly - not defeat, "Under The Western Sky" brims with Strung Out's trademark sense of melody and coruscating aggression, and the insistent ebb and flow of album closer "Bloody Knuckles" is ravaged with both despair and a kind of beauty at the same time. The end result is simply Cruz continuing to live out his destiny the only way he knows how.
"This opportunity I've been given, and everything I've been doing, I don't have any say in it," Cruz says. "I don't have a choice. I have things inside of me that swell up when I go through this, but it's what people put into what they hear and what they then take out of it, that's the magic. I need to do this, but if it's not making a connection, I have no right to be here. My favorite part about America is the pain of the poor people and what they create out of it - the culture that the poorest people of this country have created. From that came blues, jazz, rock'n'roll, and, to me, coming from nothing and creating something is everything to me."
Strung Out will be making the following appearances this fall. Dates below.
09/18 - Crowbar - Tampa, FL
09/19 - The Wooly - FYF - Gainesville, FL
09/20 - Respectable Street - West Palm Beach, FL
09/21 - 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville, FL
09/22 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
09/24 - Reggie's 42nd St. Tavern - Wilmington, NC
09/25 - The Bunker Brewpub - Virginia Beach, VA
09/26 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
09/27 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
09/28 - Le Poisson Rouge - NYC, NY
09/29 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
10/01 - Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME
10/02 - Club Soda - Montreal, QC, Canada
10/03 - La Source - Quebec City, QC, Canada
10/04 - The 27 Club - Ottawa, ON, Canada
10/05 - The Opera House - Toronto, ON, Canada
10/06 - Rum Runners - London, ON, Canada
10/08 - The Crafthouse Stage & Grill - Pittsburgh, PA
10/09 - Small's - Detroit, MI
10/10 - Cobra Lounge - Chicago, IL
10/11 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN
10/12 - The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
10/13 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
10/31 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
11/01 - Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, BC, Canada
11/02 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
11/03 - The Olympic - Boise, ID
11/04 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
11/08 - Three Links - Dallas, TX
11/09 - House Of Rock - Corpus Christi, TX
11/10 - Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX
11/12 - Pub Rock Live - Scottsdale, AZ
11/13 - Dive Bar - Las Vegas, NV
11/14 - Irenic - San Diego, CA
11/15 - Soho Club - Santa Barbara, CA
11/16 - Holy Diver - Sacramento, CA
11/17 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
11/19 - Strummer's - Fresno, CA
11/20 - The Siren - Morro Bay, CA
11/21 - American Legion - Lancaster, CA
11/22 - Garden Amphitheatre - Garden Grove, CA
11/23 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
