Danko Jones’s three-man squad, of Jones on vocals and guitar, John Calabrese on bass, and drummer Rich Knox, continue their dedication to the noble art of riffs, melodies and life-affirming rock anthems, return to provide maximum satisfaction with the kind of balls-out rock’n’roll only they can offer, with new single ‘Guess Who’s Back‘, ahead of their eleventh studio album, Electric Sounds, due on 15th September through AFM Records.
Then, just as the winter nights begin to settle in, Danko Jones will be hitting the UK for headline dates in December.
Frontman Jones declared: “We love touring in the UK and thankfully we are coming back! What’s not to love when you play in front of crowds that know their rock and know how to rock out?! Every day is just one more day we have to patiently get through until the tour starts. I think you can tell I’m already very ready to do this. Give me a guitar and get me to the stage now!”
In addition, to their own dates, Danko Jones is confirmed as main support on Sunday 3rd December at Planet Rockstock, taking place in Trecco Bay, South Wales and marking its 10th anniversary this year. Tickets for that event are on sale now, while ticketing links and more information on their own tour can be found here. Support will be US punk squad Radkey.
Formed in Toronto in 1996, Danko Jones has seen and done just about everything over the last quarter of a century. Powered by a DIY punk rock spirit, and inspired by the good, great and grotesque of electrified rock ‘n’ roll, they have steadily built an international fan base and become one of the most acclaimed live bands around, embraced by everyone from mainstream radio-rock fans to diehard metalheads. Along the way, they have released ten widely praised studio albums, generating a repertoire of fists-in-the-air crowd-pleasers into the bargain.
From the spiky blues of 2002’s Born A Lion and the crazed power-pop of its follow-up We Sweat Blood (2003), to the priapic perfection of 2010’s Below The Belt, the band’s knack for hitting rock’s sweet spot has never wavered. Over the last decade, they have visibly moved up a few gears with a succession of all-killer, no-filler albums – Fire Music, Wild Cat, A Rock Supreme, Power Trio – has led to even more gung-ho touring and unapologetic service to the rock cause. With Electric Sounds, Toronto’s archbishops of amplification prove that even a global pandemic couldn’t stop them.
“Guess Who’s Back’ is not only the lead-off track to our new album, Electric Sounds, it’s also the imperative sentence everyone is begging to answer,” said Danko Jones.
“Not working for two years really felt like touring rock bands were being put out to pasture,” he reflected. ““But I guess that only made us try harder. We were still able to record and release an album during the pandemic (Power Trio, 2021). We toured as soon as we were allowed. Now that Electric Sounds is getting released, it doesn’t feel like we missed a beat.
“During the pandemic, we moved away from each other. JC lives in Finland and Rich lives in Prince Edward Island. So, the writing for this band has changed. We used to bash out ideas in our rehearsal place, day after day, but it’s more about sending files back and forth now. However, last summer, while on tour, we did manage to jam out ideas in a rehearsal room in Berlin for a few days. Out of those jams came the nubs for five songs.”
Those five songs were subsequently expanded to eleven. “I’d like to think Electric Sounds falls in line with all our previous albums” he continued. “Over the years, we’ve carved out a sound and we’re sticking to it. But if you were to zoom in and compare it to other albums, I’d like to think it’s a bit faster than our other albums. Initially, I wanted all the songs to sound like our song, ‘Cadillac’ – plodding, mid-tempo, heavy, and to the point. Our songs are usually about rocking, wanting to rock, enjoying life while rocking, and sometimes I’ll sing about a woman. You can expect zero surprises!”
Electric Sounds was produced by Eric Ratz, and features guest spots from Tyler Stewart (Barenaked Ladies), Damian Abraham (Fucked Up) and guitarist Daniel Dekay (from Canadian thrash legends Exciter). It features the songs ‘Guess Who’s Back’, ‘Good Time’, ‘Electric Sounds’, ‘Get High?’, ‘Stiff Competition’, ‘She’s My Baby Eye for an Eye’, ‘I Like It’, ‘Let’s Make Out’, ‘What Goes Around’ and ‘Shake Your City’.
New single ‘Guess Who’s Back’ is out now on all digital services here, and you can check out the lyric video right here at RAMzine.
