A studio fire prevented Will Johnson from recording his upcoming fifth album Hatteras Night, A Good Luck Charm at his usual location, the Echo Lab in Texas’ Denton County. It was there that the Austin-based songwriter recorded his celebrated work as the lead vocalist of Centro-matic, as well as his albums with South San Gabriel and a number of solo projects. Yet the change in setting might have proved an unexpected blessing, as the new LP’s lead single “Every Single Day Of Late” is solid gold that may never have been tapped into had Johnson not been invited to put down his new material at the nearby Ramble Creek Recording. Part desolate Americana, part folksy grunge, “Every Single Day Of Late” is uniformly dense, with Johnson churning along at a measured stomp alongside a spiderweb of horn blasts and guitar distortion. It’s as much a song as it is a terrain of tectonic sound bursts, and it’s awesome. Some background from Johnson:

With “Every Single Day Of Late” I tried to examine the tension between two characters, sexual and otherwise, in the shadow of religious counsel. There’s a calling out of bullshit and hypocrisy by the narrator, but there’s also a giving in to imminent, physical needs. A willingness to look the other way, at least temporarily.

Listen below.

Tracklist:

01 “Childress (To Ogden)”
02 “Every Single Day Of Late”
03 “Ruby Shameless”
04 “Filled With A Falcon’s Dreams”
05 “Heresy And Snakes”
06 “Hey-O, Hi- O”
07 “Predator”
08 “Milaak”
09 “Hatteras”

Full-band tour dates:

01/26 Austin, TX @ Mohawk #
01/27 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada #
01/28 Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf #

Solo tour dates:

02/10 Memphis, TN @ Living Room Show
02/11 Florence, AL @ 116 E. Mobile ##
02/12 Birmingham, AL @ Living Room Show
02/13 Atlanta, GA @ Living Room Show
02/14 Waverly, AL @ Living Room Show
02/16 Mobile, AL @ Satori
02/24 San Antonio, TX @ Living Room Show
02/25 Sealy, TX @ Living Room Show ###

# with Samantha Crain
## with Joey and Kelly from Glossary, and Shonna Tucker.
### with Erika Wennerstrom

Hatteras Night, A Good Luck Charm is out 3/24 via Undertow. Pre-order it here.