The band has also announced upcoming live shows and a free pop-up listening experience in Dallas.
The Polyphonic Spree have released their highly anticipated, eighth studio album, 'Salvage Enterprise,' led by the album focus track "Give Me Everything (Section 46)," which "evokes the curious harmonic intimacy inside Simon & Garfunkel's grander productions," according to The Shepherd Express. Their first body of original compositions in almost a decade, led by front man, founder, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visionary Tim DeLaughter, who describes the album as a 'rising-from-the-ashes' record," and easily his most vulnerable work to date.
Listen to 'Salvage Enterprise,' the new album from The Polyphonic Spree HERE.
"Across all of the music I've done, lyrically there's a sense of desperation and a moment of convincing myself I'm going to make it through regardless of how the music dresses up," notes Tim. "On this one, I struggled with the amount of vulnerability I was experiencing and was willing to share both musically and lyrically, but ultimately decided to let it play out. Now that it's done, I'm happy with the dance between the two."
To celebrate the album release, the band has announced a special pop-up listening experience in Klyde Warren Park (2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy) in Dallas tomorrow, Saturday, November 18. The free event is open to the general public and kicks off at 5pm with an album playback starting promptly at 6pm. For updates, fans can keep their eyes on the official Polyphonic Spree Twitter/X page @polyspree.
Often finding himself alone with a guitar when making this record, the instrument soon doubled as a creative north star for what would eventually become Salvage Enterprise. On the album's sound, Tim shares, "There's an acoustic current running through the whole body of work, and we tried to embrace it as a thread. It has a lot of space to contemplate what we're going through. I was very specific on instrumentation. I knew I wanted a cross between a Percy Faith and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young record. With the ability of The Spree to have crescendos, peaks, valleys, we were able to add depth and texture to the classic harmonies and rich folk music."
Opening track, "Galloping Seas (Section 44)" affixes softly strummed acoustic guitar to an orchestral hum as Tim urges, "Hold on through the galloping seas."
"We're all galloping through rough waters," he says. "I tried to describe the process as well as I could and encourage people to keep their heads above the storm and the waves. Ride it out. It's going to be okay. It starts off very calm and introspective, and you can envision where it's going."
Flute echoes over nimbly plucked guitar during "Shadows On The Hillside (Section 48)" as keys twinkle. A glorious harmony amplifies the nostalgia of "Hop Off The Fence (Section 49)." It concludes with "Morning Sun, I Built The Stairs (Section 52)." Optimism strains through his hopeful intonation, "I learned to fly, the more that I become a new reason, I want to try," uplifted by boisterous horns and cinematic strings. It crashes into an Ennio Morricone-style crescendo bolstered even higher by operatic vocals.
"There is an arc of leaving the world behind, stripping your old self away, and becoming new again," he offers. "You're shedding off this old world, and you're heading into the future. It's an epic ending. You've made it. You're going to be alright."
Audiences notably crowdfunded the record, powering the process-Similar to its predecessor album Yes, It's True, Salvage Enterprisewas crowdfunded by their dedicated audience, which speaks to their dedicated love and commitment to the band. Finishing the music, Tim did something else he'd never done before. After teasing the album in one-time online sessions for crowd-funders, he hopped in a van, traveled across the country, and hosted guerilla "listening experiences." Armed with a couple of generators, he arranged the speakers in a circle with moving blankets and played Salvage Enterprise from top-to-bottom for free. He hosted these impromptu events in Topanga, Ojai, Los Angeles, San Diego, Griffith Park, Echo Park, Marina Del Rey, Austin, Santa Cruz, and beyond.
"The idea was to get outside, look at the stars, and play this thing in its entirety wherever I could," he goes on. "It was meant to be a chance to take the music in-and take a break from daily life and. I wanted people to hear it as an album in the classic sense. Back in the day, you'd go buy a record with a friend, come home, go straight to your bedroom, press play, and listen to the whole thing. I tried to achieve that again."
In other news, The Polyphonic Spree will be bringing their live show Dallas and Austin in November and December, with more dates to be announced soon. There are also plans in 2024 to bring the album, alongside specially created visuals to planetariums around the country. For a list of live dates and to purchase tickets, go to: https://thepolyphonicspree.com.
Speaking about the importance of the live show, DeLaughter reveals, "I was a vessel for this music. To me, this is so much more than another album with an ultimate goal of performing it in a rock club. It has a cinematic aspect which I discovered as I traveled across various landscapes when sharing with others. While we can't wait to bring these songs to a live setting, we are equally excited about the other venues that will host the narrative in a visual fashion. Stay tuned."
Outside of the music, Tim will star in an upcoming film, entitled El Tonto Por Cristo. The movie was directed by Josh David Jordan, known for his critically acclaimed debut This World Won't Break (in which DeLaughter also made a cameo). Described as metaphysical thriller set on the Texas coast, the film features a stellar cast, including Matthew Posey, Mark Ashworth, Jordan Walker Ross, Frank Mosley, Barry Corbin and DeLaughter, as well as a surprise appearance from The Polyphonic Spree co-founder, and manager, Julie Doyle. DeLaughter and Doyle are longtime friends of the film's writer and director, Josh David Jordan and his producing partner, wife Jessica Jordan who is in The Polyphonic Spree choir and provides music for the film's soundtrack alongside fellow Spree vocalists Jennifer Jobe and Kristin Hardin. For more details on the film, please visit www.eltontoporcristo.com.
'Salvage Enterprise' is out everywhere today.
1. Galloping Seas (Section 44)
2. Wishful, Brave, And True (Section 45)
3. Give Me Everything (Section 46)
4. Got Down To The Soul (Section 47)
5. Shadows On The Hillside (Section 48)
6. Hop Off The Fence (Section 49)
7. Open The Shores (Section 50)
8. Winds Of Summer (Section 51)
9. Morning Sun, I Built The Stairs (Section 52)
11/22 - Granada Theater Dallas, TX (Album Release Show)
12/02 - Reliant Lights Your Holidays @ AT&T Performing Arts Center - Dallas, TX
12/03 - Haute Spot - Austin, TX
12/15 - 20th Annual Holiday Extravaganza Majestic Theatre - Dallas, TX
12/16 - 20th - Annual Holiday Extravaganza Majestic Theatre - Dallas, TX
The Polyphonic Spree remain attuned to opportunities for rebirth. Led by frontman, founder, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visionary Tim DeLaughter, the group's vision and sound have constantly evolved. Following a period of heartbreak, confusion, and uncertainty as his original band Tripping Daisy fell apart in 2000, Tim started over again. Accompanied by 23 other collaborators, draped in robes, and drunk on the natural exuberance of a new chapter, he introduced The Polyphonic Spree with the now-classic 2002 debut, The Beginning Stages of... The signature "Light & Day/Reach for the Sun" surged through popular culture for two decades, appearing everywhere from the Academy Award-winning 2004 classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to a 2017 episode of Girlboss. It would even be performed on-screen in Wonder and serve as the theme song for Dr Seuss's The Lorax. Delivering rapturous live experiences at countless festivals and on numerous late-night television shows, they also notably graced the stage at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert and opened an entire tour for the late David Bowie. Beyond Tim scoring Thumbsucker by filmmaker Mike Mills, the band contributed a cover of Nirvana's "Lithium" to the Academy Award-winning The Big Short. Along the way, they entranced listeners with the likes of Together We're Heavy [2004], The Fragile Army [2007], Yes It's True [2013], and Psychphonic [2014]. In the wake of the 2021 covers LP Afflatus, Dallas Morning News proclaimed, "The Spree Remains one of the more beloved names in the Texas rock landscape." Without question, The Polyphonic Spree has quietly made an indelible impact upon culture since the turn-of-the-century. Their music has found its way to listeners everywhere, either on the radio, in books, movies, fashion, or even through comedians. As the years pass, this impact has only magnified. In 2023, they embark on their next season with their full-length offering, Salvage Enterprise.
Videos