Earlier this week, Jack White confirmed the impending release of his new album, Boarding House Reach. Now, he’s revealed the album’s release date — March 23rd — along with its 13-song tracklist and album artwork.
The album’s lead single, “Connected by Love”, also serves as its opening track. The other early teaser, “Respect Commander”, appears as track No. 9. Other notable titles include “Abulia and Akrasia”, “Ice Station Zebra”, “Get in the Mind Shaft”, and “Humeresque”.
White initially began working on the album in a small Nashville apartment, where he recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder that he bought when he was fourteen with money he made mowing lawns. “Connected By Love” was the first song he wrote in the apartment. “I just started humming notes out loud, staring out the window,” he told Rolling Stone. “After that, you really can’t explain it. You just have to get out of the way and let it happen. And you don’t really notice it as it’s happening.”
He went on to produce and record the album in three proper studio settings: Sear Sound in New York City, Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and his own Third Man Records Studio in Nashville. For the sessions, he recruited an entirely new group of musicians, including drummer Louis Cato (Beyoncé/Q-Tip/John Legend); bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl (The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger); bassist NeonPhoenix (Kanye West); synth players DJ Harrison and Anthony “Brew” Brewster (Fishbone, The Untouchables); keyboardist Neal Evans (Soulive/Talib Kweli/John Scofield); keyboardist Quincy McCrary (Unknown Mortal Orchestra); percussionist Bobby Allende (David Byrne); percussionist Justin Poree (Ozomotali); as well as backing vocalists Ann and Regina McCrary of gospel trio The McCrary Sisters and C.W. Stoneking, who contributes a spoken word performance on the album track “Abulia and Akrasia”. Past collaborators including drummers Daru Jones (Nas, Talib Kweli) and Carla Azar (Autolux, Depeche Mode) also appear on the album.
Boarding House Reach Artwork:
Boarding House Reach Tracklist:
01. Connected By Love
02. Why Walk A Dog?
03. Corporation
04. Abulia and Akrasia
05. Hypermisophoniac
06. Ice Station Zebra
07. Over and Over and Over
08.Everything You’ve Ever Learned
09. Respect Commander
10. Ezmerelda Steals The Show
11. Get In The Mind Shaft
12. What’s Done Is Done
13. Humoresque
A special limited-edition version of Boarding House Reach will be released as the latest installment in Third Man Records’ Vault subscription series. The blue and black swirl vinyl comes packaged within alternate album artwork. Plus, there’s a two-song 7-inch demo containing “embryonic” versions of “Connected By Love” and “Why Walk a Dog?”, as well as exclusive photographs, original poetry written by White, and more.
