Grammy-nominated band Hiss Golden Messenger has announced the upcoming release of their new album Jump for Joy via Merge Records, on August 25th, 2023. The group has also announced an extensive Fall tour of the U.S. in support of Jump For Joy. The first single “Nu-Grape” is out now and showcases a Gospel-tinged chorus featuring Aoife O’Donovan and Amy Helm on backing vocals.
Jump for Joy is unlike previous Hiss Golden Messenger album in several ways, and the optimistic and groove-driven songs from M.C. Taylor may surprise fans.
The narrative is somewhat autobiographical as Taylor created a character to represent himself through his life in music.
As Taylor explains:
I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.
As Jump for Joy suggests, “a joyful ambiance permeates the album and offers a sense of freedom in the music.” Taylor and bandmates Chris Boemer (guitar), Alex Bingham (bass), Nick Falk (drums) and Sam Fribush (keys) captured their live sound on Jump for Joy, which was produced by Taylor.
Jump for Joy is the follow-up to 2021’s release Quietly Blowing It, which found Taylor ruminating on themes of “growing up, alienation, obligation, hope, purpose, family, class, self-discovery, healing, and rebuilding.” Hiss Golden Messenger’s 2019 album Terms of Surrender received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album.
Participating independent record stores across the U.S. will also be giving out copies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Live at EartH Hackney, a free bonus cassette, with the new album, available while supplies last. This eclectic live set, recorded in London during summer of 2022, is being released physically for the very first time.
HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER FALL TOUR DATES
July 21 – Waldoboro, ME – Waldo Theatre (M.C. Taylor Solo)
July 22 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square (M.C. Taylor Solo) [SOLD OUT]
July 23 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square (M.C. Taylor Solo) [SOLD OUT]
August 4-8 – Kaslo Bay Park, BC – Kaslo Jazz Etc. Fest
September 15 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
September 16 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom+
September 17 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
October 19 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House*
October 20 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club*
October 21 – New York, NY – Webster Hall*
October 22 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall*
October 25 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair*
October 26 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair*
October 27 – Holyoke, MA – Race Street Live*
October 28 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB*
October 29 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre*
November 1 – Detroit, MI – El Club*
November 2 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom*
November 3 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line*
November 4 – Chicago, IL – Metro*
November 5 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Indy*
November 7 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn#
November 9 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl#
November 10 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West#
November 11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel#
November 28 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub#
November 29 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub#
November 30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall#
December 1 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room#
December 2 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre#
December 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room#
December 5 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory#
December 7 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre^
December 8 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre^
December 9 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall^
December 10 – Eugene, OR – W.O.W. Hall^
December 11 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s^
December 13 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theatre^
December 14 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore^
December 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour^
December 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room^
December 30 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
December 31 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
March 1 – 8, 2024 – Miami, FL – Cayamo Cruise+ with special guest William Tyler & The Impossible Truth
* with special guest Sylvie
# with special guest Adeem The Artist
^ with special guest The Lostines
