Bozeman bluegrastronauts Kitchen Dwellers have shared a new single, “Smokestack”, off of their upcoming Cory Wong-produced release, Wise River. Featuring guitar picker Max Davies on vocals, the song joins “Sundown”, “Wise River”, and “Stand At Ease” as the fourth glimpse of the band’s new album, which will debut April 29th via No Coincidence Records.
The new single was written as “a driving, fun, upbeat song,” Max Davies said in an interview with Bluegrass Today. “I wanted it to have a notion of perseverance, and envisioned it being played at a summer festival during the day. ‘After all these miles we’ve roamed, such a long long way to go,’ was a way of saying look how far we’ve come, don’t give up now because there’s so much more in store.”
Known for their eclectic influences and unique application of traditional bluegrass instrumentation, Kitchen Dwellers have earned a national following through years of touring. Hailing from Bozeman, MT, the young quartet sings about what they know, with lyrics that evoke Montana’s scenic mountain vistas and the expansive horizons from which the state gets its nickname, “Big Sky Country.”
Mandolinist Shawn Swain says of the band’s new album that it is “30% influenced by bluegrass, but mostly it’s rock n roll with acoustic instruments.”
Vulfpeck and Fearless Flyers guitarist Cory Wong, who produced the record, agreed, saying, “This is bluegrass instrumentation, but it’s not really a bluegrass album. … There’s elements of indie rock, there’s elements of alternative rock, there’s elements of bluegrass, there’s elements of jam, there’s elements of folk music. There’s so many things that came together for this album.”
Kitchen Dwellers are no strangers to genre-blending, often treating live audiences to surprising covers ranging from Vampire Weekend and Mac Miller to Pink Floyd and Bruce Springsteen. Their new album sees the band try a new approach, with instruments beyond their four voices and strings, including steel guitar, drums, and organ—one track also has over 20 vocal parts.
In addition to their celebration of Montana’s Wise River, the new album will deal with themes including the struggles of being in a long-distance relationship, addiction, mental health, COVID, and depression. “Every song on this album is just real,” Swain said. “It’s steaped in reality.”
Wise River will be out April 29th via No Coincidence Records. Kitchen Dwellers will hit the road in support of the album beginning April 28th with festival appearances at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, The Peach Music Festival, Electric Forest, Sweetwater 420, Strings & Sol, RiverWonderGrass, Northwest String Summit, and more. View a complete list of tour dates, listen to songs from the album, and check out a video about the project below. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Kitchen Dwellers – “Smokestack”
Kitchen Dwellers – “Sundown”
Kitchen Dwellers – “Wise River”
Kitchen Dwellers – “Stand At Ease”
Kitchen Dweller – Wise River Trailer
[Video: Kitchen Dwellers]