THE MENZINGERS ANNOUNCE 7TH STUDIO ALBUM
OUT OCTOBER 13
WATCH MUSIC VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE “HOPE IS A DANGEROUS LITTLE THING”
US HEADLINING TOUR STARTING NOV. 9
More than 15 years in, treasured Philadelphia punk rockers The Menzingers have cemented a multi-decade reputation as road warriors with an unbeatable catalog. Today they expand their impressive repertoire with the announcement of their seventh studio album, Some Of It Was True, due for release on October 13th via Epitaph Records. Pre-order it HERE
Vocalist and guitarist Greg Barnett reveals, “Written over the last two and a half years in hotels, backstages, basements, and rehearsal rooms and recorded during a life-changing retreat down south, ‘Some Of It Was True’ is the most realized version of what we set out to do when we started this band 17 years ago—have fun and be ourselves.”
The band also shares the record’s lead single and accompanying music video, “Hope Is A Dangerous Little Thing” that balances confessional lyrics with an anthemic edge.
“Hope Is A Dangerous Little Thing”
Four years since the release of 2019’s Hello Exile, the Menzingers presented an EP of acoustic reworks (From Exile, 2020) that saw the band “flex their creative muscles and make the most of their time away from each other in quarantine” according to Chorus.FM. Subsequently, Gregor Barnett’s solo record Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave (2022) was praised by Kerrang! for its “clear-eyed songwriting never wavers.” This was around the time when Some Of It Was True started to come together.
Joined by Grammy-nominated producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, the War on Drugs, Waxahatchee), the foursome took off to El Paso, Texas to record at the legendary Sonic Ranch. Lending his incredible ear, Cook helped accomplish the daunting task of capturing the Menzingers’ distinctive live energy within the confines of a studio. What results is their most immediate-sounding and energetic record to date, featuring a sound that’s both rich, raw, and complementary to the group’s increasingly prismatic songwriting approach.
“The Menzingers are as real as it gets,” Cook says on his time in the studio with the band. “I had an absolute blast working with these guys and was moved to tears many times. They are truly dedicated to artistic growth, and to each other, in ways I found both refreshing and beautiful. I am now a lifer.”
Speaking on the impact that Cook had on the band, Tom May says, “Brad massively changed the way we were approaching the record. We’d talk about music and develop a vocabulary about how to work together, and that made us embrace chasing the feeling instead worrying about locking in things immediately.”
Lyrically, Some Of It Was True is a showcase for how the band’s songwriting has expanded beyond their own personal experiences, drawing from what’s happening around them and the lives of those who keep this world’s lifeforce pumping. Acknowledging that they’re in a very different place than when they formed in 2008, this album embraces change and it’s definitely for the better. “This record just feels different for us,” Barnett explains. “It’s a really important one in our catalog, and a pivotal moment in our history. We have the liberty of our fans growing with us now, and after writing these lyrical songs about where we are in life, we decided to take other peoples’ stories and make something bigger out of it.”
The Menzingers Tour Dates
W/ Prince Daddy & The Hyena + Mercy Union
Aug 11 Akron, OH – Musica
Aug 12 Iowa City, IA – Wildwood
Aug 13 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Aug 15 – Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s
Aug 16 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Aug 17 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
Aug 18 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine
Aug 19 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
Aug 20 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
Aug 22 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly
Aug 23 – Columbia, SC – The Senate
Aug 24 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
Aug 25 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Bunker Brewpub
Aug 26 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
W/ Microwave, Cloud Nothings
Nov 09 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall
Nov 10 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
Nov 11 – New York, NY – Knockdown Center
Nov 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
Nov 14 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Nov 15 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Nov 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
Nov 17 – Richmond, VA – The National
Nov 18 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
Nov 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
Nov 24 – Columbus, OH – The Athanaeum Theatre
Nov 25 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
Nov 26 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
Nov 28 – Dallas, TX – Southside Music Hall
Nov 29 – Austin, TX – The Far Out
Dec 01 – Phoenix, AZ – The Nile
Dec 02 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory
Dec 03 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
Dec 05 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
Dec 06 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Dec 07 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
Dec 08 – Vancouver, BC – Harbour Convention Centre
Dec 09 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
Dec 10 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Dec 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
Dec 13 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
Dec 14 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall
Dec 16 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Dec 17 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
The Menzingers are Greg Barnett (vocals, guitar), Tom May (vocals, guitar), Eric Keen (bass), and Joe Godino (drums).