Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are back with news of the band’s fourth album, South of Here, their first in three years. Out on June 28th via Stax Records, South of Here is previewed by the lead single “Heartless”.
With the announcement of South of Here, Rateliff and his backing band have kept alive their streak of releasing an album every three years—The Future in 2021, Tearing at the Seams in 2018, and their self-titled debut in 2015. This patient practice has repeatedly resulted in highly distilled songwriting from the titular bandleader, with his words brought to life by his tight seven-piece neo-R&B backing band.
On South of Here, Rateliff offers his most personal and emotionally raw songwriting since his 2020 solo album And It’s Still Alright. The new 11-track offering deals in pain and trauma “and transforms it into a stirring and soul-baring rumination on love, loss, hope and
resolve.” Brad Cook (The String Cheese Incident, Waxahatchee, Bon Iver) produced the album at Sonic Ranch outside El Paso, TX.
“Brad was a great producer to write alongside,” Rateliff said. “This album is a look into my own struggle with anxiety, insecurity and also stories of my life. He encouraged me to take responsibility for my own narrative in the songs and to write about what’s happening in my own life,” he continued. “These recordings were done together in a room with my closest friends. I hope these songs and stories give you an opportunity to better understand your own struggles, whatever they may be.”
The lead single, “Heartless”, leans on the ensemble’s Americana influences—something notably absent from The Future despite (or perhaps because of) coming in the wake of Rateliff’s folkie foray on And It’s Still Alright. Rateliff tears out pages from his own life as the lyrics mirror his journey from his childhood in Missouri to Denver where he gutted it out for over a decade before finding success. The capable Night Sweats are perhaps underutilized on the track, but it’s in the interest of amplifying Rateliff’s story. With a swinging acoustic guitar and mild drum march, the warm composition is well paired with a sepia-toned lyric video of traveling down a dirt road.
Check out “Heartless”, the lead single from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweat’s upcoming album South of Here now available for pre-order. After touring Europe and the U.K. this summer, Rateliff and his band will return stateside for a co-headlining tour with My Morning Jacket in September. For tickets and a full list of tour dates head here.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — “Heartless” [Lyric Video]
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