Naked Giants are set to release The Shadow on August 21st, 2020 via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by Chris Funk of The Decemberists and follows the Seattle, WA-based trio’s Green Fuzz EP (2019) and debut album SLUFF (2018).
Steadily building up their reputation as a tremendous live act, Naked Giants were named Seattle’s best live band by The Seattle Times at the end of 2018 and Rolling Stone named the band one of the “30 Best Artists We Saw” during SXSW that year as well.
The trio spent most of the past two years pulling double duty as both members of the Car Seat Headrest live band and also supporting each Car Seat Headrest performance with their own set as Naked Giants as well.
SPIN has premiered the video for the first single, ‘Take A Chance,’ which was filmed by the individual members during self-quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to SPIN, the band said “We had ambitions for a deeper, more produced music video. But since the pandemic spread and we are no longer able to physically work together, we decided to do a simpler, more light-hearted video. We made this with the express purpose of spreading joy and hoping that others find time to dance and have a moment of fun in these stressful times.”
The Shadow is an energetic and exhilarating musical rollercoaster ride. Within the first ten minutes the band has already careened through a blitz of post-punk riffing, wastoid gang shouting, a singalong anthem-for-the-disaffected, and a Talking Heads-ish funk-rock workout with bits of shimmery synth and lo-fi slide guitar riffing thrown in for good measure. The Shadow also reveals new and welcome layers to the Naked Giants sound, both musically and lyrically.
New Album On The Way!
The band say The Shadow “Is a much more honest album than SLUFF — we’ve come to realise that the path to becoming a better person and bringing positivity into the world isn’t always linear, and there’s a lot of growth in taking an honest look at the ‘shadow-y’ parts of life. Whether it’s personal anxiety and depression or collective guilt and trauma, there’s always a part of yourself that’s hard to confront and understand. But The Shadow is all about facing that darkness and having the strength to bring it into the light.”
While they might be older (average age: 23) and wiser, the band members — Grant Mullen (Vocals, Guitar), Gianni Aiello (Vocals, Bass) and Henry LaVallee (Drums) — are still out to conjure a rip-roaring good time.
The Shadow will be available across digital platforms, on compact disc, and standard black vinyl.
A limited Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl Edition will be available at Independent Retailers and is also available for pre-order NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.