2x GRAMMY-nominated band Rival Sons have announced the release of their much-anticipated new album, LIGHTBRINGER, on October 20th. It notably marks the group’s second full-length offering to be unveiled in 2023, following June’s critically acclaimed companion album DARKFIGHTER. Today, LIGHTBRINGER is available for pre-order / pre-save now [album art / tracklisting below]. The pre-order includes two vinyl variants – Fruit Punch and Lemonade – as well as a CD version.
About LIGHTBRINGER, guitarist Scott Holiday said, “When you do two albums back-to-back like this, there are a lot of things to think about. The first record has to pack enough of a punch and tell enough of a story for the second half to have an even bigger impact. We balanced them out with energy and meaning, but the follow-up always needed to deliver a bigger blow. I think LIGHTBRINGER provides this.”
Vocalist Jay Buchanan added, “DARKFIGHTER is a new Rival Sons, and LIGHTBRINGER is the clear definition of what we are now. We broke ground on DARKFIGHTER, but LIGHTBRINGER is a step beyond the personal innovation and exploration. It goes a little further. We really took everything into our own hands and pushed to see how far we could go. It was a self-exploration to see who we were and who we’ll be now. We had more friction and compromise than ever, because we isolated the bare essence of where we needed to go—and then we went there.”
The band set the stage for LIGHTBRINGER with a rollicking, roaring, and righteous new single entitled “Sweet Life” – available on all streaming platforms now. From the jump, a frenetic drumbeat gives way to a rip-roaring riff. Meanwhile, Jay’s bluesy wail bounces between a cathartic hook and boogie-down groove as he bemoans, “I’ve got to shake, shake, shake the bad rhythm for good,” shimmying in lockstep with the guitar.
Regarding “Sweet Life,” Jay promised, “It’s the most old-school Rival Sons song on either of these two records. It has all of the early elements of what Rival Sons is and was. It was born out of my love mid-sixties rock like The Animals, The Kinks, and the bands I was raised on. It’s a bit of a break from all of the heavy subject matter too; it’s a barnburner.”
Rival Sons crafted DARKFIGHTER and LIGHTBRINGER during the same sessions over the course of 2021. Once again, they recorded with creative confidant and longtime producer Dave Cobb behind the board. The band initially dropped DARKFIGHTER to unanimous tastemaker praise earlier this summer. Classic Rock attested, “DARKFIGHTER might just be Rival Sons’ masterpiece,” and GLIDE Magazine enthused, “DARKFIGHTER is a lean hard rock album that condenses what Rival Sons does well into a brief attack.” At the same time, they have piled up millions of streams across the likes of “Nobody Wants To Die,” “Bird in the Hand,” “Rapture,” and more.
Right now, Rival Sons are on the road with The Smashing Pumpkins and will be touring through the end of 2023 with select U.S. headline shows and festival appearances. Check out the full confirmed itinerary below.
In 2021, Rival Sons celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2011 album, Pressure and Time, by performing the landmark long player live in its entirety on the Pressure and Time Tour for the first time. They also lit up Southern California with a two-night livestream event, Rival Sons – “PAIR OF ACES” – Live from the historic Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island. They performed their debut LP, Before the Fire [2009], in its entirety on the first night and their self-titled EP, Rival Sons [2010], on the second.
Like a gang of tried-and-true mavericks, Rival Sons most definitely march to the beat of their own drum. Right when you think you’ve got them figured out, the Los Angeles quartet—Jay Buchanan [vocals, acoustic guitar], Scott Holiday [lead guitar], Mike Miley [drums], and Dave Beste [bass]—will flip the script and surprise you once more. Their very emergence is inexplicable in the best way. They never fit into any era or category, yet their uncompromising spirit might be more necessary today than ever. A sense of panache, a dash of mystery, and an unapologetic commitment to the craft of rock ‘n’ roll underscore their deep catalog highlighted by the likes of Pressure & Time [2011], Great Western Valkyrie [2014], and Feral Roots [2019], which garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of “Best Rock Album” and “Best Rock Performance” for the single “Too Bad.” Meanwhile, the Rock Radio #1 hit “Do Your Worst” has reeled in 70 million streams and counting. At the same time, they’ve held their own on stage with Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, and Lenny Kravitz in addition to blowing the roof off television staples such as The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jools Holland and Jimmy Kimmel. In 2023, they continue to subvert expectations with two full-length LPs—DARKFIGHTER and LIGHTBRINGER [Low Country Sound / Atlantic Records]—and more to come.
1. Darkfighter
2. Mercy
3. Redemption
4. Sweet Life
5. Before The Fire
6. Mosaic
TOUR DATES
10/13 London, UK The Roundhouse
10/14 Newcastle, UK NX
10/16 Glasgow, UK Barrowland Ballroom
10/17 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy
10/18 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
10/20 Cambridge, UK Cambridge Corn Exchange
10/21 O2 Academy Bristol, UK (Sold Out)
10/22 Southampton, UK O2 Guildhall
10/24 Nantes, France La Carrière
10/25 Lyon, France Le Radiant
10/27 Paris, France Olympia
10/28 Lausanne, Switzerland Les Docks
10/29 Milan, Italy Alcatraz
10/31 Vienna, Austria Gasometer
11/1 Zurich, Switzerland X-TRA
11/2 Munich, Germany Theaterfabrik
11/4 Prague, Czech Republic Lucerna Music Bar
11/5 Warsaw, Poland Klub Stodola
11/6 Poznan, Poland Music Club B17
11/8 Berlin, Germany Huxleys
11/9 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg Max (Sold Out)
11/10 Cologne, Germany Kantine (Sold Out)
11/12 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique (Sold Out)
11/13 Hamburg, Germany Grosse Freiheit 36
11/14 Copenhagen, Denmark The Grey Hall
11/16 Bergen, Norway Forum Scene
11/17 Oslo, Norway Sentrum Scene (Sold Out)
11/18 Stockholm, Sweden B-K
11/20 House of Culture Helsinki, Finland
11/21 Tampere, Finland Tampere Hall
10/13 – 11/21 – European Headline Tour
