Acclaimed rock duo Shovels & Rope announce the February 18th release of their highly anticipated new album, Manticore (Dualtone Music). Originally planned as a stripped-down, acoustic-leaning release, the songs on Manticore were written before the pandemic but recorded during. With the unplanned allotment of time, the celebrated duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst reimagined the initial arrangements resulting in 10 new songs that carve out their own distinct place in the Shovels & Rope canon in both sound and subject matter.
Opening the album is the pulsating first single “Domino,” which looks at the iconic legend surrounding the death of James Dean. The song finds the late actor’s ghost looking down, wondering why America still holds onto him so tightly. The song serves as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on how we look at celebrity in our country. Watch new video HERE.
While “Domino” shoots out of the gate ablaze, Manticore is a more intimate album speaking to the human experience, some of it deeply personal. As fans have come to expect from Shovels & Rope, they hold nothing back. Their character-driven narratives often reflect their own feelings about life, love and our ever-changing society. The latter is summed up on the other end of the spectrum from “Domino” with the contemplative album closer “Human Race”.
In between those bookend tracks, Shovels & Rope exude an emotional sentiment on Manticore that comes from new places and experiences. Hearst and Trent tell a heartbreaking story of a homeless soul in “Happy Birthday Who”, while Hearst sings of a woman trying to maintain her identity amidst the challenges in today’s world in “Collateral Damage”. “Bleed Me” will resonate deeply with every parent as the duo expresses their undying love, yearning and gratitude for their two children and the gifts they receive from them. Alternatively, “Divide & Conquer” imagines a fictional reality where the couple part ways and divide up the children. This is the polar opposite of their beloved autobiographical song “Birmingham”, which will be 10 years old in 2022. The song ends with the reaffirmation of that love and how vulnerable it can be if taken for granted.
Along with their incendiary live performances, Shovels & Rope has built a reputation over the last decade-plus as gifted storytellers with a sincerity and honesty that connects with people of all ages. On Manticore, Hearst and Trent find new ways to open themselves up and let the listener in, while offering so much to consider and even more to be grateful for.
Shovels & Rope just announced a 2022 U.S. and European Tour. See list of dates below.
Click HERE to pre-order Manticore
SHOVELS & ROPE 2021 ACOUSTIC TOUR DATES
November 2 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
November 3 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
November 5 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
November 6 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
November 7 – Ithaca, NY – The Hangar
November 9 – Cleveland, OH – Music Box Supper Club
November 10 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House
November 12 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
November 13 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
November 14 – Minneapolis, MN – The Parkway Theater
November 17 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
November 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage
November 20 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
SHOVELS & ROPE 2022 US & EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
March 22 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
March 23 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
March 25 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
March 26 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
March 29 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
March 31 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
April 1 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
April 2 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
April 3 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club
April 5 – Albany, NY – The Egg
April 6 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
April 8 – South Orange, NJ – South Orange Performing Arts Center
April 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
April 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
April 13 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theater
April 15 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
April 16 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
June 10 – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Americana
June 11 – Stockholm, Sweden – Stockholm Americana
June 12 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhagen Americana
June 14 – Hamburg, Germany – Nochtspeicher
June 15 – Groningen, The Netherlands – De Oosterpoort
June 16 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Paradiso
June 17 – Royal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom – Black Deer Festival
June 19 – Manchester, United Kingdom – The Deaf Institute
June 20 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Saint Luke’s
June 21 – Leeds, United Kingdom – Brudenell Social Club
June 22 – London, United Kingdom – Islington Assembly Hall
