It was an hour after midnight EST when Greg Dulli tweeted out three simple words: “It’s on now.” Word spread quickly that the singer was referencing the release of the first Afghan Whigs album since the 2014 comeback effort Do to the Beast. The record, their eighth, is titled In Spades and drops May 5 on Sub Pop Records.
The first single, “Demon in Profile,” can be streamed below, and is available for purchase through all the standard online retailers.
The slow-burning track begins with Dulli accompanied only by piano, reminiscent of the Do to the Beast standout “It Kills,” before blooming into the familiar blend of rock and soul with the frontman delivering lines like, “I’m so far inside you/I’m your silhouette.” A stripped down version of the song first appeared during Dulli’s solo acoustic tour a year ago. [Update: An official video has been released for the song.]
It’s on now. pic.twitter.com/2gKh7QRlma
— greg dulli (@MrGregDulli) March 8, 2017
In addition to “Demon in Profile,” three additional numbers from the ten-song LP will be familiar to hardcore Whigs’ fans; “Toy Automatic” and “Oriole” made their debut during the two benefit shows for band guitarist Dave Rosser this past December held in New Orleans and Los Angeles. Album closer “Into the Floor” has been popping up in the group’s setlists since the 2012 reunion tour. The full tracklisting to In Spades is below.
The Afghan Whigs made their mark in the early ’90s with the alt-rock classics Gentlemen and Black Love, where Dulli poured his tortured relationship angst out for all to see on tracks like “Debonair,” “Be Sweet” and “Bulletproof.” Following extensive touring to support the critically acclaimed 1998 release 1965, the band called it a day before reuniting in 2011.
The Afghan Whigs – In Spades Tracklisting:
1. “Birdland”
2. “Arabian Heights”
3. “Demon in Profile”
4. “Toy Automatic”
5. “Oriole”
6. “Copernicus”
7. “The Spell”
8. “Light as a Feather”
9. “I Got Lost”
10. “Into the Floor”
