Mark Lanegan has revealed, his new album Somebody’s Knocking, will arrive on October 18th, via Heavenly Recordings. Alongside this news he has dropped the lead-track “Stitch It Up” along with a video, which features Donal Logue reprising his legendary ’90s MTV character Jimmy the Cab Driver.

Mark Lanegan on the video for “Stitch It Uo”

“Had a blast making this video. We had some friends over for dinner and Joe Cardamone met Donal Logue there and they hit it off. When I later talked to Joe about directing a vid he immediately said “Jimmy The Cab Driver” I called Donal and he laughed for like ten minutes and was totally into it. My head was pounding from laughing so hard the day of the shoot. It was extremely tough to keep a straight face when Donal was in character, he turned into an updated version of Jimmy so fast. Both Joe and Donal are brilliant. There’s a reason it’s the first video of mine I’ve been in for the last 15 years.”

Some of the influences are oblique, others direct and fully respectful. From the Raw Power-esque garage metal grind of that opener to “Letter Never Sent’s” rocket-powered take on Love-era kaleidoscope-psych, through the pensive subterranean murk of “Dark Disco Jag” and on to “Playing Nero’s” sun-bleached riff on Joy Division’s “Atmosphere”, there’s the glee of infatuation running deep in the tracks. And, in some ways, that display of infatuation serves to change the very perception of Lanegan the artist – this album being less the tale of a brooding, crepuscular rock’n’roll veteran and more that of someone consumed by a lifelong love of words and sound fused together.

With that perception shift in mind, one of the most remarkable moments on Somebody’s Knocking is “Penthouse High” a track that positively blooms, sounding like a love letter to imperial phase New Order. For Lanegan, it signals a return to one of his formative musical loves from a time even before he joined Screaming Trees.

“I’ve always been into electronic music since I was a kid,” he says. “I think the reason those elements have become more obvious in my music is that my tastes have changed as I’ve grown older. The bulk of what I listen to now is electronic. Alain Johannes and I had actually written Penthouse High for Gargoyle (the 2017 album the Guardian stated saw “Lanegan in the form of his career”) but then it didn’t really fit on that record. I have been a huge fan of New Order and Depeche Mode forever and have wanted to do a song along those lines for a long time – a blatantly catchy, old-school dance-type song.”

Mark Lanegan
Somebody’s Knocking
track listing:

1. Disbelief Suspension
2. Letter Never Sent
3. Night Flight To Kabul
4. Dark Disco Jag
5. Gazing From The Shore
6. Stitch It Up
7. Playing Nero
8. Penthouse High
9. Paper hat
10. Name and Number
11. War Horse
12. Radio Silence
13. She Loved You
14. Two Bells Ringing At Once

Mark Lanegan
Live

MAY US TOUR:

5/3/2019 – Jacksonville, FL – Welcome to Rockville Festival
5/4/2019 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
5/5/2019 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge*
5/7/2019 – Chicago, IL – Bottlom Lounge*
5/8/2019 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter*
5/10/2019 – Marston, NC – Epicenter Festival
5/11/2019 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar*
5/13/2019 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
5/14/2019 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw*
5/15/2019 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts*
5/16/2019 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony*
5/18/2019 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Festival

* with Simon Bonney

FALL UK/EU TOUR:

10/24/2019 – Santiago de Compostela, – Sala Capitol
10/25/2019 – Elche, ES – Gran Teatro
10/26/2019 – Valencia, ES – Ram Club
10/27/2019 – Murcia, ES – Sala Rem
10/28/2019 – Barcelona, ES – Apolo
10/30/2019 – Lisbon, PT – Hard Club
11/2/2019 – Bilboa, ES – BIME Festival
11/3/2019 – La Rochelle, FR – La Sirene
11/4/2019 – Lorient, FR – Hydrophone
11/5/2019 – Rouen, FR – Le 106
11/6/2019 – Lille, FR – L’Aeronef
11/7/2019 – Amsterdam, NE – Melkweg
11/9/2019 – Rust, DE – Rolling Stone Weekender
11/11/2019 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
11/12/2019 – Oslo, NO – Vulkan Arena
11/13/2019 – Malmo, SE – KB
11/14/2019 – Stockholm, SE – Debaser
11/16/2019 – Strand, DE – Rolling Stone Beach Festival
11/17/2019 – Berlin, DE – Colombia Theater
11/19/2019 – Warsaw, PL – Niebo
11/20/2019 – Prague, CZ – Lucerna Bar
11/21/2019 – Dresden, DE – Scheune
11/22/2019 – Schorndorf, DE – Manufaktur
11/23/2019 – Munich, DE – Strom Club
11/25/2019 – Budapest, HU – Durer Kert Main Hall
11/26/2019 – Zagreb, HR – Tvornica Kulture
11/27/2019 – Milan, IT – Fabrique
11/29/2019 – Thessalonoki, GR – Principal Club
11/30/2019 – Athens, GR – Lera Odos
12/1/2019 – Lausanne, CH – Les Docks
12/2/2019 – Zurich, CH – Bogen F
12/3/2019 – Koln, DE – Essigfabrik
12/5/2019 – Turnhout, BE – De Warande
12/6/2019 – Hasselt, BE – CC Hasselt
12/7/2019 – Roeselare, BE – De Spil
12/8/2019 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon
12/10/2019 – London, UK – Roundhouse
12/11/2019 – Bristol, UK – SWX
12/13/2019 – Sheffield, UK – Leadmill
12/14/2019 – Edinburgh, UK – Liquid Rooms
12/15/2019 – Manchester, UK – Ritz
12/17/2019 – Dublin, IE – Button Factory
12/18/2019 – Belfast, IE – Empire