I’m pretty excited about this one, gang. Jason Cruz and Howl are about to release their very long-awaited sophomore album, Wolves! The Strung Out frontman’s outlaw folk project are slated to release the record this spring on a new label known as Liars Club, a collaboration founded by the inimitable Amigo the Devil and indie powerhouse Regime Music Group. Wolves will serve as the follow-up to the band’s debut record, Good Man’s Ruin, which somehow came out nine years ago (and has been in constant rotation in yours truly’s collection ever since).
What’s even better is that we get to debut the video for the lead single, “Good Hands”! Here’s what the band’s frontman, the one-and-only Jason Cruz, had to say about the track.
This track is definitely the most ‘polished’ song on the album. I actually threw it in the trash at one point, because I had re-wrote and tweaked it so many times. Eventually it turned out to be one of the best songs on the record.
Astute viewers will notice that Howl features a retooled lineup that now includes Cruz supported by Chad Kulengoky on lead guitar, Jason Nielson on bass and Kris Comeaux on drums. Here’s what Cruz had to say about the new record:
This record was born of loss. Before the pandemic, I had lost my best friend and bass player, Chris Stein, to cancer. It took me years to start writing a new Howl record again. This new record is a reflection of me not being afraid anymore. I’ve always tried to be that way when it comes to art and music, but with Wolves I felt more free than I ever had before and just embraced it. This album is a reminder nothing ever really dies; it just turns to something else. Sometimes pain can help fuel you creatively, and in turn, guide you out of the darkness. Wolves is a record of healing, taking chances, and a new beginning.
Check out the video for “Good Hands” below, and after you’ve given it a few spins with the volume way up, check out pre-order options here.
You can also stream the Liars Club reissue of Good Man’s Ruin down below if the spirit moves you (as well it should)!
