Brittany Howard offered the first glimpse of her long-awaited sophomore album What Now with the title track, her first since her acclaimed 2019 solo debut Jaime. The album announcement arrives alongside a crop of six new 2024 tour dates and some minor details, though a release date is not among them.
“What Now” lands with a futuristic texture, created with pulsating beats and palm-muted guitar that builds up from a whisper with rattling fuzz. Howard’s lyrics and vocals increase that intensity, gradually climbing to a shout as she tears open the raw feelings of a crumbling relationship. “I’ve been asking questions you don’t wanna know / I wonder if I’m here just so I’m not alone / It’s painful but I might as well say sorry,” she ruminates before belting “I ain’t sorry!”
“‘What Now’ is maybe the truest and bluest of all the songs,” Howard said in a statement. “It’s never my design to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I needed to say what was on my mind without editing myself. I like how it’s a song that makes you want to dance, but at the same time the lyrics are brutal.”
The song features a music video directed by Danilo Parra that only adds to the track’s inherent futurism in what at times feels like a Blade remake. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the track arrived on Friday the 13th, with the intrinsic horror vibes exacerbated with easter eggs like a quick shot with Freddy Krueger’s bladed glove.
The singer for the long-dormant Alabama Shakes added that “What Now” was “written during the pandemic when the question ‘What now’ was on all of our minds. I think it is a feeling that has continued to the present moment in the world we live in. It is also the title of the new album and I think when you hear it you will understand why I landed on that title…but more on that later… Love you all. Thank you for listening and being there for me through/with all my twists and turns.”
While Howard did not share a release date or tracklist, she did tack on six new tour dates for February 2024. Adding to a limited run of concerts set to begin next month, Howard will make stops next year in Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Asheville, NC with support from Becca Mancari. A pre-sale for tickets begins Monday, October 16th at 10 a.m. local time with the public on-sale beginning Friday, October 20th at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Howard’s website for tickets and see below for a full list of tour dates.
Check out the new Brittany Howard single “What Now” and stay tuned for further information on the album.
Brittany Howard – “What Now” [Official Video]
The post Brittany Howard Announces New Album ‘What Now’, Shares Title Track [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
