Cass McCombs has always been a heck of a songwriter. It’s pretty much a known fact that he’s hailed as a strong guitarist as well, though his storytelling is what most people gravitate towards. With his ninth studio album, Tip of The Sphere due next year from Anti-Records, he’s going at things differently than in the past. Recorded quickly in Brooklyn, this is a new McCombs while still holding his sound intact. The lead single, “Sleeping Volcanoes” tells the tale best.

There’s more of an immediacy to this sound, though it’s still all McCombs. The way his voice lies at the top of the mix between the bass and a raspy drum keeps his core sound, while the airy nature of the track stays with you. The lyrics might be a bit heavy once you dig into them, but the pace of the track is the type you’ll hum after the first listen, proving even when he changes how he does things, Cass McCombs will always intrigue us.

The album’s track listing is as follows:

1. I Followed The River South To What
2. The Great Pixley Train Robbery
3. Estrella
4. Absentee
5. Real Life
6. Sleeping Volcanoes
7. Sidewalk Bop After Suicide
8. Prayer For Another Day
9. American Canyon Sutra
10. Tying Up Loose Ends
11. Rounder

You can stream the single on all streaming platforms, you can preorder Tip of The Sphere from Anti-Records before it gets released to the public on February 8 of next year. Cass McCombs is set to be on tour beginning November 09 at Rolling Stone Weekender in Weissenhauser Strand, Germany until Friday April 05 at The Fillmore in San Francisco. A complete list of his tour dates can be found here. 

Image Credits: Photo by Silvia Grav.