With their 2021 tour well underway, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats have released a rousing, new song, “Love Don’t,” in advance of their third studio album, The Future. The LP arrives November 5 via Stax / Fantasy Records. The band previously shared the song “Survivor”; watch both videos below.
From the August 18 announcement: For the recording, the Americana band went to Rateliff’s new Colorado studio to write an album’s worth of songs, shedding light on their unique observations and songwriting reflecting on our current times. While recognizable, the new work has evolved and pushes the band to a new level.
“I look at the album overall as a big question,” notes Rateliff. “When I was writing the record we were in the middle of a pandemic and our future looked pretty bleak. I just continue to try to write from a place of hope. Then my own neurosis, and maybe being a libra gets in the way, and I can’t make up my mind. There is this constant back and forth battle in me personally and I am sure that comes out in my writing.”
For “Love Don’t,” the video features a collage of footage captured on tour throughout Europe and North America from 2018-2021.
Watch the video for “Love Don’t,” released on Rateliff’s 43rd birthday, Oct. 7
Recorded at Rateliff’s own Broken Creek Studio outside of Denver, The Future, the band’s third full-length studio LP, was produced by Bradley Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby, The War on Drugs) and R.M.B.—the production trio of Rateliff, Patrick Meese (The Night Sweats) and James Barone (Beach House)—who were the team behind Rateliff’s acclaimed 2020 solo album, And It’s Still Alright. Additional production was added by musician, engineer and producer Elijah Thompson (Father John Misty, Richard Swift) while Jenny Lewis, Jess Wolfe (Lucius) and Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) contributed backing vocals.
Watch the lyric video for “Survivor”
Watch the official video for the track, that premiered on Aug. 26
Earlier this year, Rateliff, born Oct. 7, 1978, made his debut as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live nearly one year after the release of And It’s Still Alright, which received widespread critical praise.
During a run of socially distanced shows last year, Rateliff recorded Red Rocks 2020, a live album that was released on July 16. The band’s 2021 tour continues, with dates scheduled well into October. Tickets are available here and here.
Related: The 2015 song that introduced many of us to Rateliff
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