The Jesus Lizard to Release First Album in Over Two Decades
Rack, their first new album since 1998’s Blue, will be available on September 13.
By: Josh Sharpe Jun. 05, 2024
The Jesus Lizard, undeniably one of the most iconic and influential bands to emerge in the late 20th century, return with Rack, their first new album since 1998’s Blue, on Sept. 13 via Ipecac Recordings.
A preview of the 11-song album arrives today with the release of “Hide & Seek,” a track David Yow describes as “a perky ditty about a witch who can’t behave, and it’s got nearly as many hooks as a Mike Tyson fight.” An accompanying video (found HERE) captures the foursome of Duane Denison, Mac McNeilly, David Wm. Sims, and Yow as they recorded the “ditty” with Producer Paul Allen at Nashville’s Audio Eagle Studio.
“There are definitely some references to the past,” Denison says, in reference to the album, adding, “but it’s more as a point of departure: We don’t stay there.”
The Jesus Lizard reconvened in 2009 for a finite number of shows, and have spent the intervening years as both friends in close contact with one another, and touring bandmates. “We literally only made the record because we thought it would be fun to make the record,” Sims shares. With McNeilly highlighting the strong relationship amongst the musicians: “We are bonded by the music we make, and also by the respect we have for each other.”
Album pre-orders, which include several limited-edition vinyl variants, as well CD, digital, and cassette offerings, are available now HERE.
The band has also announced a slate of new tour dates, stretching well in to 2025, with more performances to come:
June 6 Nashville, TN Third Man Records SOLD OUT
June 8 Pomona, CA No Values
June 9 Garden Grove, CA Garden Amp
September 7 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Music Festival
October 13 Las Vegas, NV Best Friends Forever Music Festival
October 31 Dallas, TX Longhorn Ballroom
November 1 Austin, TX TBA
December 9 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
December 11 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel
December 12 Boston, MA Roadrunner
December 13 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
December 14 Washington, DC Black Cat
December 18 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
January 7 Glasgow, UK QMU
January 8 Manchester, UK Academy 2
January 9 Leeds, UK Brudnell Social Club
January 10 Bristol, UK The Fleece
January 11 London, UK Electric Ballroom
January 12 Brighton, UK Concorde 2
January 14 Belfast, UK The Limelight
January 15 Dublin, IE Button Factory
May 2 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
May 3 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre
May 5 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 8 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
May 10 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
Tickets for the newly announced shows (Oct. 31 through May 10, 2025) are on-sale this Friday at 10 am local time. Ticketing links can be found via Ipecac.com/tours.
Rack track list:
1. Hide & Seek
2. Armistice Day
3. Grind
4. What If?
5. Lord Godiva
6. Alexis Feels Sick
7. Falling Down
8. Dunning Kruger
9. Moto(R)
10. Is That Your Hand?
11. Swan The Dog
Since their inception in Chicago in 1987, the Jesus Lizard has thrilled audiences all over the planet. The impeccable rocket-thrust rhythm section of bassist David Wm. Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly was the perfect launchpad for guitarist Duane Denison’s jagged yet clean-toned riffing and vocalist David Yow’s mercurial vocalizations manifesting as everything from panicked citizen, reality escapee or wounded sea mammal. The Jesus Lizard’s fury has carried on through six studio albums, two live recordings and a brace of singles and EPs, with the band’s seventh album, Rack, out this Fall via Ipecac Recordings.
Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins
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