Today, FRANK TURNER releases a new single, “Letters”, the latest track after “Girl From The Record Shop”, “No Thank You For The Music” and “Do One”, which will be part of his tenth album 'Undefeated' . ', available May 3 via Xtra Mile Recordings.
About the new single, he says: “Letters” is a song I've been working on for a long time; In a way, I've been writing it since a genuine pen pal ended when I was a kid when the mix tapes stopped coming in the mail. “It’s a song about communication and its breakdown, about nostalgia for teenage romance, and about how reevaluating those things as an adult can be the beginning of a healing process.”
“I am now shocked to report that as I enter my forties, I have returned to being an angry man.” sings on the recent song “No Thank You For The Music.” And that's a concise statement about what to expect from 'Undefeated', Frank's follow-up to his first UK number one album, 2022's 'FTHC'. Finding the sweet spot between youthful directness and surviving the challenges of Middle Age, is an album that explores both emotionally compelling themes and lighter reflections on the problems that eventually come to most of us. Who you are versus who you wanted to be in your youth, the love that changes your life, the friendships that fade, the melancholic nostalgia, the mental and political consequences that still linger from the pandemic era, and the more prosaic question of the pain of persistent back.
franco says, “There are no clichés about the difficult tenth album, so in a way it's a liberating statement. But at the same time, I have a duty to justify writing and releasing a tenth album. That's a lot of records for anyone. Also, I'm 42 years old, which is not a sexy or rock'n'roll age. But throughout my career I have been interested in writers like Loudon Wainwright III or The Hold Steady, people who write about adulthood, essentially.”
Watch the video for 'Cartas' – BELOW:
While thematically 'Undefeated' is based on this time in life, sonically it is filled with echoes of influences that Frank has touched upon at various points in his kaleidoscopic career. He goes from Black Flag to Counting Crows, from Descendents to The Pogues, passing through Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg. His free nature reflects not only his newfound independence but also the creative environment in which he found himself. As always, it was written entirely by himself, but this is the first album he produced himself, recorded in his home studio. which he and his wife, Jessica Guise, share on Mersea Island, Essex. It features his live band: Ben Lloyd (guitar), Tarrant Anderson (bass), Callum Green (drums) and Matt Nasir (piano).
The release of 'Undefeated' will, of course, see this punk-rock road-warrior tour with the tenacity and intense schedules he's known for (such as the extensive 50 States in 50 Days North American tour), but with even bigger ambitions than They will be revealed in due time as he approaches his 3000th concert (!). But for now, look forward to the new album: a typically energizing, literate, fun and provocative set from a musician who remains “undefeated” after a quarter century in the game.
'Undefeated' tracklist:
'Make one'
'Never mind back problems'
'Stop the fire'
'Record Store Girl'
'Post-traumatic stress disorder pandemic'
'Letters'
'East Finchley'
'No, thanks for the music'
'The leaders'
'International Hide and Seek Champions'
'Show people'
'I'm on my way'
'Somewhere in between'
'Unbeaten'
UK LIVE DATES 2024
July 6 – CLEETHORPES Docksfest
July 13 – CHELTENHAM Festival of Trees 2000
July 26 – SUFFOLK Latitude Festival
August 3 – DERBYSHIRE Y-Not Festival
Tickets here
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