Cut Worms AKA: songwriter/musician Max Clarke — announces his new self-titled album, will drop on July 21st via Jagjaguwar. Ahead of the release Cut Worms has shared lead single “Ballad of the Texas King,” and North American live tour dates.

“Ballad of the Texas King” is — in Clarke’s words — “sort of ‘the bridge’ between my last record and the new one. It’s a murder ballad, and as is common in murder ballads, deals with promise and innocence being snuffed out.” Of its cinematic Clay Tatum-directed video, Clarke says: “The video concept was a collaboration between me and director Clay Tatum. He and Whitmer Thomas used one of my songs in their recent film The Civil Dead which I very much enjoyed and so I sought them out to do my video. I’m real pleased with how it came out and I think it puts the song in another dimension.”

As opposed to recording the entire album in one chunk at one studio, Clarke varied his methods. Three of the songs were cut from start to finish in his shared rehearsal space; two others were recorded in Brooklyn by Brian and Michael D’Addorio of the Lemon Twigs, who also played piano and bass, respectively, on these two songs. Further basic tracking was done by Rick Spataro (of Florist) at his Hudson Valley studio, Onlyness Analog, with contributions from the long-standing Cut Worms live band: keyboardist John Andrews, bassist Keven Louis Lareau, and drummer Noah Bond.

Clarke went about overdubbing in his signature fashion, and found himself leaning toward arrangements that translate more easily to a live performance. The instrumentation is subtle and the harmonies often delicate. Clarke’s tenor sits front and center amid an ensemble of celestial guitar leads, stacked horns, and strolling piano lines. The success of last year’s self-recorded single, “Dream Most Wild,” gave him the confidence to take on the roles of mixer and producer for the first time on a full-length release.

This July, Cut Worms will play a special, intimate residency at Brooklyn, NY’s Union Pool. Later this fall, he’ll embark on a lengthy tour, bringing his beloved live set to cities across North America. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Cut Worms
Cut Worms
Tracklist
Jagjaguwar

1. Don’t Fade Out
2. Take it and Smile
3. Ballad of the Texas King
4. I’ll Never Make It
5. Is it Magic?
6. Let’s Go Out On The Town
7. Living Inside
8. Use Your Love! (Right Now)
9. Too Bad

Cut Worms 2023 Tour Dates

Fri. July 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Fri. July 14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Fri. July 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Tue. Sept. 5 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Wonder Bar
Wed. Sept. 6 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House
Fri. Sept. 8 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival
Sat. Sept. 9 – Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man Records
Mon. Sept. 11 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
Tue. Sept. 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Wed. Sept. 13 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Fri. Sept. 15 – Dallas, TX @ Dada
Sat. Sept. 16 – Austin, TX @ The Ballroom
Mon. Sept. 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Tue. Sept. 19 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Thu. Sept. 21 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer
Fri. Sept. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Mon. Sept. 25 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s at The Crocodile
Tue. Sept. 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
Wed. Sept. 27 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. Sept. 29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Sat. Sept. 30 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Mon. Oct. 2 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
Tue. Oct. 3 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Wed. Oct. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Fri. Oct. 6 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Sun. Oct. 8 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Bling Pig
Mon. Oct. 9 – Toronto, On @ Horseshoe Tavern

Pre-order Cut Worms by Cut Worms HERE