California rockers Rival Sons have announced a new studio album, DARKFIGHTER. The set was produced by longtime collaborator Dave Cobb.
Along with the album news, Rival Sons have released the LP’s first single, “Nobody Wants to Die,” as well as the song’s Eli Sokhn-directed music video. The track marks the first new music from Rival Sons since they released 2019’s Grammy-nominated Feral Roots.
“You live your life knowing that the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head by a thread,” vocalist Jay Buchanan said of the single. He added, “You’re fully aware of the impermanence of your existence, but you can’t think about it all the time — or it’ll fuck your life up. I used to work in a mortuary as a service advisor for a few years, driving and opening the hearses. I’d attend three funerals per day. Sometimes, they would be filled over capacity. Other times, it would just be me, a priest, and a hole in the ground. It doesn’t matter who you are; the great equalizer is coming. I was thinking of this because the music sounded like pursuit.”
Regarding the overall theme of the album, Buchanan said, “DARKFIGHTER represents the cultural mitosis of isolation, the Pandemic, and the national fabric of the US getting looser and looser. When I say ‘Cultural Mitosis,’ there are lines being drawn constantly. We’re so divided, and you can’t step over the lines without offending someone. It certainly informed my writing. We recognized a responsibility to put a good word on people’s ears so there’s a good word coming back on their tongues too. We missed the joy of the live show and that magical interaction. When it was taken from us, that made me want to sing about topics that were important. There are strong themes on this record of loss of identity, preservation of joy, and beholding light and shape again.”
Lead guitarist Scott Holiday continued, “Records are a healthy form of escapism. I hope this one takes you as far away as possible. Our intent was to create a cinematic body of work. As soon as the doors shut behind you, you’re enveloped on the ride. This is the sound of us really coming into our own. We’ve gotten further from our influences and gotten closer to what we are. DARKFIGHTER sounds like the Rival Sons.”
