MUSIC VIDEO: Scranton’s Tigers Jaw debuts ‘Guardian’ from upcoming album ‘Spin’ ahead of U.S. tour
Despite a major lineup shakeup in 2014, losing three of their members, Scranton indie rock band Tigers Jaw has only become more popular since then with the release of “Charmer,” a critically acclaimed hit released through Run for Cover Records. Now the young duo of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins is ready to debut their follow-up, “Spin,” via Black Cement Records.
Black Cement is a new Atlantic Records imprint curated by Philadelphia’s Will Yip, who produced and recorded “Charmer” in Studio 4 in Conshohocken, along with records by fellow Northeastern Pennsylvania bands The Menzingers and Title Fight and other successful acts like Lauryn Hill, Circa Survive, Balance and Composure, The Wonder Years, Anthony Green, Cold World, The Disco Biscuits, MeWithoutYou, La Dispute, and None More Black.
“I think this world of bands deserves a home of their own that has the resources of a major label in order to expose them to new audiences around the world,” Yip said in a release regarding the new label. “Spin” will be the first album Black Cement puts out.
“At the end of the day, I’m on the band’s side, and if they couldn’t benefit from the label, I wouldn’t bring them on,” he continued, “but I thought Tigers Jaw were the perfect band to be on Black Cement because every note is so genuine and the music is so incredibly catchy.”
“As soon as we started discussing working together with Black Cement, we felt comfortable and confident that we share a similar vision,” Walsh added. “They believe in sincere, dynamic music and can see the potential and importance in bringing music of this caliber to a wider audience.”
Yip is seen working with Tigers Jaw in the behind-the-scenes music video for “Guardian,” the first single from “Spin” that debuted today on NPR with the following description:
With a jangly, monochromatic hook that matches muted tones on unison vocals, the track layers sound like Kazimir Malevich’s serenly austere painting White on White for the indie-rock set. But even in its subtle shades there’s a ton of power behind that chorus, even as Collins and Walsh sing, “Burn a candle to my skin / Turn the handle, let me in / I cannot be your medicine anymore.” They say that “Guardian” is a song “about the role mental health plays in relationships.”
“Specifically, it deals with the struggle of being someone’s support system while dealing with your own anxieties and issues. When you neglect your own mental health by channeling your focus into other things, putting your head down and forcing normalcy into work and relationships, those issues come back stronger when you run out of distractions. Simple, everyday tasks can become significant sources of anxiety,” the duo told NPR.
“Musically, the big open chord progression happened first, then the melody followed pretty naturally. We wanted the structure, powerful chorus, and pacing of the song to exist in juxtaposition of the fragile reality of the lyrics. This song also features one of our favorite instrumental parts on the record and will be an exciting song to add to the live set.”
The 12-song album will be released on Friday, May 19, the same day Tigers Jaw will kick off a full U.S. tour with Saintseneca and Smidley that runs through June. While all the dates and locations have not been announced yet, tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. on groundcontroltouring.com. Their last major cross-country tour was with New Found Glory and Yellowcard back in 2015.
See the album cover and tracklist below:
Tigers Jaw – “Spin” tracklist:
1. “Follows”
2. “Favorite”
3. “June”
4. “Escape Plan”
5. “Blurry Vision”
6. “Guardian”
7. “Bullet”
8. “Brass Ring”
9. “Oh Time”
10. “Same Stone”
11. “Make It Up”
12. “Window
