Scranton indie rock band Tigers Jaw releases new ‘Eyes Shut’ EP with lyric video
Scranton indie rock band Tigers Jaw surprised fans today with the release of the “Eyes Shut” EP, which contains a new song and acoustic versions of tracks from their latest album, “Spin.”
“Recorded in 2016 with Will Yip at Studio 4 during the ‘Spin’ album sessions, this release features dual electric and acoustic versions of a previously unreleased song called ‘Eyes Shut’ as well as acoustic versions of ‘Spin’ album tracks ‘Follows’ and ‘Guardian,'” the band posted on their social media accounts today.
“‘Eyes Shut’ will be released physically in the form of a limited 7-inch for sale on our upcoming tour with The Menzingers and Culture Abuse! The full EP will also be up on streaming services today!”
Vocalist/keyboardist Brianna Collins also made a lyric video for “Eyes Shut” using home video footage:
“Eyes Shut” lyrics:
I want to love but I’m afraid to
I want to give myself up
I want to turn myself in
I learned to hate cause I was made to
I am a product of those who came before meWe’re all living with our eyes shut
For what it’s worth I’m not out to prove you wrong
For what it’s worth you got the best of me
I’ve got a secret I can never tell you
It’s nothing goodAnd it’s not your fault I’m not strong enough
We’re all living with our eyes shut
Tigers Jaw recently returned to their hometown area on May 31 to play a sold-out acoustic show at Karl Hall in Wilkes-Barre, just a small part of the wave of critical and commercial success they’ve received since the release of “Spin” in 2017 on Atlantic Records’ new imprint, Black Cement Records. The album was recorded with Philadelphia producer Will Yip, who also recorded their 2014 record “Charmer” at Studio 4 in Conshohocken. As the curator of Black Cement, Yip chose Tigers Jaw as the first band to be featured on the label, overseeing the creative process with Collins and vocalist/guitarist Ben Walsh, who have kept Tigers Jaw going through various incarnations.
“In a lot of ways, this record is a return to the way the band started in the sense that it was coming from two people working very closely together, and I think that resulted in something that was really cohesive,” Walsh said of “Spin” in a press release.
“The whole experience felt really organic, even if the recording process was different than anything we had done in the past together.”
“The two of us worked together so closely on this record, especially when it came to layering our harmonies, and I think along with open guitar chords and Casiotone organs, that’s what really makes this album sound like us,” Collins added.
“We needed to do what felt like Tigers Jaw – and I think we were able to do that in a really exciting way this time around.”
In March, they embarked on a tour with Philly indie rock group mewithoutYou, followed by a performance at the Slam Dunk Festival in the U.K. in May with an impressive lineup of major rock and punk acts like All Time Low, Bullet for My Valentine, NOFX, New Found Glory, Bad Religion, Glassjaw, Less Than Jake, and The Menzingers, another Scranton band that has broken out into the mainstream.
The Menzingers, Tigers Jaw, and Culture Abuse will be heading out together for a fall run beginning Oct. 25 in Columbus, Ohio and wrapping Dec. 7 in Boston, Massachusetts. The tour’s closest stop to Northeastern Pennsylvania will be at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia on Friday, Nov. 29.
“We grew up with The Menzingers in Scranton but have never done a proper tour together. We are so excited to tour the U.S. with them and Culture Abuse later this year!” Tigers Jaw said when it was first announced in July.
Listen to an exclusive interview with Brianna Collins in Episode 109 of the NEPA Scene Podcast, where she talks about Tigers Jaw’s rise to fame, what drew her to local music at a young age, tour stories and meeting bands she grew up listening to, working with Will Yip on “Spin” and “Charmer,” songwriting and the evolution of Tiger Jaw’s sound, her favorite shows, their sold-out 10th anniversary show in Scranton last year, their current lineup, and more:
Photo by Scott Kucharski Photography/NEPA Scene
