Eggy, the New Haven, CT rock quartet known for its improv-focused live shows, has announced the coming release of its sophomore studio album, Waiting Game, due out September 6th, 2024. [Pre-order the album on vinyl here].
The new LP, produced by White Denim‘s James Petralli and recorded at his home studio in Pasadena, CA, will mark the first full-length studio release from the band since Watercolor Days, its 2019 debut. In the five years since, Eggy—comprised of Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—has significantly expanded its profile, climbing to steadily bigger venues and more prominent appearances across the country via relentless touring and word of mouth. While Eggy has continued to write and debut new original material on a regular basis in the ensuing years, fans’ only exposure to the post-2019 Eggy catalog has come via live shows and concert recordings.
The songs on the new album expand the band’s stylistic “oeuvre,” so to speak, venturing beyond improvisation-focused jam band structures in favor of a more indie-, folk-, R&B-, and Americana-influenced sound. As Eggy explained in a statement on Waiting Game,
This album is something we’ve wanted to make for the past five years, but funny enough, it only took us three weeks to complete. Planning for this project came about rather serendipitously, when Dani and Alex met James Petralli following a White Denim concert in September [2022]. By April [2023], we had taken up residence at his home studio in Pasadena, sharing beds and sleeping on sofas in the control room. We didn’t see much more than the four walls of the studio, save for the three blocks that surrounded, the two coffee houses within walking distance and the single sandwich shop around the corner.
Like many of our favorite albums, this effort captures a very specific moment in time. For us, that means the amalgamation of experiences from four friends who have lived in the same house together through the pandemic, and shared in the same van rides for nearly three hundred days touring on the road. To us this album feels like a step towards maturity, as it sees the acceptance and departure from our 20s (for most of us).
Alex, our drummer and lone holdover at 27 years-old, was ushered into the lead vocalist role for the entire record. This was entirely by design during the songwriting process. Being a band born out of a music scene that emphasizes the live rendition, we chose to go against tradition and record music that had never been performed before. There was a sense of freedom in the writing process, that we didn’t have to imitate anything we had done before. Instead we felt encouragement to lean into every creative calling, push our own boundaries, and discover our limitations. A reflection of our own lives cemented over thirty-six minutes.
James Petralli offered some thoughts of his own on the experience. “A couple months after I got set up in California,” he wrote, “I started a weekly virtual meeting with the group Eggy over coffee to talk about working on art. This is an activity that I enjoy very much and have grown accustomed to over the past few years. I loved this process with them. They were open and refreshingly communicative with one another. Each of them was committed to making their best work together. They were willing to dig deep and honor the small details in their writing and then in the recording. They were willing to disregard conventions and take risks as well. I’m talking massive dumb bendy dumpers in the middle of meticulously molded sonic landscapes. I kid of course but that’s this world ain’t it? Anyway-It was a joy and great privilege to host them and help them discover and create this work. I love these boys. They love one another and they love their music. It’s a wonderful thing to behold.”
To accompany the album’s announcement, the band has revealed the ten tracks included on Waiting Game. Of note, while many of them have previously appeared in Eggy’s live setlists, they have all been cut out of the nightly recordings the band regularly uploads to nugs.net. View the complete track listing for Eggy’s Waiting Game below.
Eggy – Waiting Game – Track Listing
Side A
1. Laurel
2. A Moment’s Notice
3. Smile
4. Shallow Rivers
5. Come Up Slow
Side B
6. Must Come Down
7. Way of the Stone
8. So Long
9. Waiting Game
10. Gentle Clown
The band began the rollout of the new album last month with the release of its lead single, “A Moment’s Notice”. Listen to the single via the player below. For more on the track, head here.
Eggy – “A Moment’s Notice”
Waiting Game, the sophomore album from Eggy, is available to pre-order on vinyl or as part of a merch bundle here ahead of its September 6th release.
The album is set to arrive amid Eggy’s biggest year of touring to date. The band will spend the summer and fall playing major festivals like Bonnaroo (6/13), Electric Forest (6/20–6/24), High Sierra (7/5–7/7), FloydFest (7/24–7/27), Sea.Hear.Now (9/14–9/15), Austin City Limits (10/4–10/8, 10/11–10/13) and more in addition to making its debut appearance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 4th supporting Blues Traveler. In August, Eggy will support Umphrey’s McGee on a run of tour dates. For a full list of upcoming Eggy tour dates, head here.
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