The Jayhawks - XOXO

 

Jayhawks evolve with the musically diverse XOXO

Limited time album download included

Seminal Minneapolis band The Jayhawks return July 10 with their album XOXO, led by the mid-tempo jangly roots-pop gem "This Forgotten Town." It's their first album of new material since 2016's Paging Mr. Proust.

"This Forgotten Town" features vocals from lead singer Gary Louris and drummer Tim O'Reagan."Introducing different voices throughout the song added a new dimension to telling the story," says the band's bassist Marc Perlman, who co-wrote the song with Louris. "We approached it much like we did the whole record — more collaboration in the writing and more sharing of lead vocals than in the past."

"Marc brought the chord progression for this song, and then I started singing a melody on top of it," Louris adds. "We wrote the lyrics together."

The band's 11th studio album marks the first time the group has fully distributed its songwriting duties, with all four band members (Louris, Perlman, O'Reagan and Karen Grotberg) writing their own songs and singing lead vocals.

XOXO is a testament to The Jayhawks' unrelenting ability to evolve while remaining true to the authentic sound that has made them one of the most influential and respected bands today. Recorded in two weeks holed up together at the secluded Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minn., as well as at Flowers Studio, founded by their friend and Minneapolis music stalwart the late Ed Ackerson, XOXO is an album fueled by chemistry and trust.

The group's camaraderie is at the heart and soul of these 12 songs, bringing an injection of confidence and energy to The Jayhawks' signature harmonies, infectious melodies and masterful musicianship. From Louris' pointedly transportive "Homecoming" to Grotberg's timelessly poetic "Ruby" to the the Pearlmen-led, folk-driven "Down To The Farm" and the trippy O'Reagan/Perlman co-write "Illuminate," XOXO is the product of a group that is more inspired and more itself than ever before.

1. This Forgotten Town

2. Dogtown Days

3. Living in a Bubble

4. Ruby

5. Homecoming

6. Society Pages

7. Illuminate

8. Bitter Pill

9. Across My Field

10. Little Victories

11. Down to the Farm

12. Looking up Your Number

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