As his Strokes cohort Julian Casablancas prepares to drop his sophomore album with The Voidz, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. is readying a new release of his own. Entitled Francis Trouble, Hammond Jr.’s fourth solo full-length is due out March 9th.
Hammond Jr. was inspired to write the record after learning new details about his stillborn twin brother, Francis. He already knew that Francis had been born too prematurely to live and that he himself had survived in his mother’s womb for six months before anyone realized he was there. It wasn’t until he was 36, however, that an aunt revealed a part of Francis was born with him: a fingernail. Hammond Jr. began to wonder if the new direction his music was taking had emanated “from whatever he and the departed Francis had shared for the few short months they had together.”
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In an ode to his unborn brother, Hammond Jr. made 36 a prominent aspect of Francis Trouble. After all, that’s the age he learned of the fingernail, and he was born on the 9th day of the 4th month (9 x 4 = 36, of course). Even the album’s runtime is exactly 36 minutes.
As a first peek at the effort, Hammond Jr. has shared the lead single “Muted Beatings”. It’s hard to see the story of the album in lyrics like, “Now I’m waiting on something you said/ Like a waitress, too good to forget,” but as Hammond Jr. himself said in a press release, “What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed or taken too seriously. I think it should be tarted up, made into a character, a parody of itself. The music is the mask the message wears and I, the performer, am the message.”
Take a listen to “Muted Beatings” below.
Hammond Jr. also made an appearance on Conan last night to debut “Muted Beatings” live. Check out the replay below.
Pre-order Francis Trouble here. Find the artwork and tracklist ahead.
Muted Beatings Artwork:
Francis Trouble Tracklist:
01. DVSL
02. Far Away Truths
03. Muted Beatings
04. Set To Attack
05. Tea For Two
06. Stop And Go
07. Screamer
08. Rocky’s Late Night
09. Strangers
10. Harder, Harder, Harder
Hammond Jr. kicks off a tour stretch opening for The Killers tonight in Los Angeles. Later this month, he’ll join Franz Ferdinand in Europe before returning to North America for a headlining tour of his own. Find his complete schedule below.
Albert Hammond Jr. 2018 Tour Dates:
02/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center ^
02/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena ^
02/05 – Broomfield, CO @ 1stBank Center ^
02/06 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena ^
02/13 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall *
02/14 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City *
02/16 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ O2 Academy *
02/17 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy *
02/19 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy *
02/20 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy *
02/21 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy *
02/23 – Cambridge, UK @ Corn Exchange *
02/24 – Brixton, UK @ O2 Brixton Academy *
02/25 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Dom e*
02/27 – Paris, FR @ Le Point Ephemere *
02/28 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (Upstairs) *
03/01 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
03/06 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
03/07 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
03/08 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Flying Burrito Musical Fiesta
03/11 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
03/14-17 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Dallas, TX @ Tree’s
03/20 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
03/21 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
03/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
03/24 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
03/25 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In
03/27 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
03/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
03/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
04/01 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
04/02 – Montreal, QB @ L’astral
04/03 – Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe Tavern
04/05 – Detroit Township, MN @ Magic Bag
04/06 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
04/07 – St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
04/10 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
04/11 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore
04/12 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
^ = w/ The Killers
* = w/ Franz Ferdinand
