It’s been nearly two full years since Jake Bugg delivered a fresh full-length album, but the British-born singer-songwriter is about to kick off an important new era in his career. Today (Sept. 2), he detailed his upcoming seventh LP, Alamo, which marks his first release as a fully independent artist.
Set to arrive on November 11 via Thirty Tigers, the 11-track record was produced by Jimmy Hogarth and Steve McKewan, and finds Bugg sharing more of himself with listeners than ever before, pulling back the curtain on even the darker paths and detours he’s navigated.
“After all the years of touring and making records, it just felt like the right time to look inward,” Bugg shares in a statement. “The last couple of years have been tough for me, and I’ve had a lot of struggles. I’m trying to navigate those and figure out where they stem from,” he continues. “Alamo was only going to work if I was going to be honest and be as vulnerable as possible. I’ve always had a lot of defenses and barriers around me. I thought it was time to bring those down.”
Fans can expect to hear Bugg’s seasoned blend of blues, folk, Americana, and rock that first won over listeners via his celebrated 2011 debut self-titled album, but in a more evolved form. At just 32, the Mercury Prize-nominated talent’s impressive list of accomplishments and creative projects seems to have given him a more focused perspective and wisdom many don’t cultivate until much later in life.
Jake Bugg, Alamo
ALBUM OUT NOVEMBER 13 VIA THIRTY TIGERS
ALBUM TRACKS
1. “When the Night”
2. “Never Can Tell”
3. “Alamo”
4. “The Life”
5. “Trapped in a Cage”
6. “Ten Stories High”
7. “Tall Poppies”
8. “Drop in the Water”
9. “Cloud in the Sky”
10. “Day by Day”
11. “Everywhere I Go”
Along with confirming a new LP is coming sooner rather than later, Bugg also shared his album cut and new single, “Never Can Tell.” The impressive track offers a punchy, toe-tapping soundscape delightfully reminiscent of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” but don’t let that comparison fool you into incorrectly assuming this is something you’ve heard before. Instead, Bugg’s latest single offers a fresh, captivating sound, oozing with style and lyrical substance uniquely his own.
Through each line, Bugg reflects on the challenges of learning who and what to trust, narrating the story of a man who seems to sleep with one eye open, walking life’s path acutely aware that those around you may not always be who they seem.
“It might be fake, it might be the truth,” he declares. “Who do you believe? I haven’t got a clue. Is heaven gonna save me or am I going straight to hell? Anyway you look at it, you never can tell.”
Listen to “Never Can Tell” below:
