Marcus King on Friday shared “Blues Worse Than I Ever Had”, the final single from his upcoming solo album, Young Blood. Co-written by the album’s producer Dan Auerbach, the single comes ahead of the album’s arrival on August 26th via Easy Eye Sound.
“Blues Worse Than I Ever Had” is a welcome change from some of the previous Young Blood singles. Rather than hiding behind high-octane riffs and generic lyricism on his full-album homage to classic rock, King shows us the depths of his recent downward spiral rather than tells it. The lyrics are understated, if simplistic, and by the end the refrain becomes a rallying cry behind the instrumentation as a soaring Joe Walsh slide guitar solo takes the track home.
“At the time, I’d changed medications when I was trying to process the death of family members,” King said in a statement. “I was coasting through life like a zombie. When I’d get off them, I’d feel things that happened six months ago for the first time and crash down.”
Young Blood will serve as King’s follow-up to his debut solo album, 2020’s El Dorado. The folk experiment saw the blues guitarist working with Auerbach for the first time, as well as taking his initial leap outside the Marcus King Band. Following a number of lineup changes, personal tragedies, and near-self destruction, King will write the next chapter of his still nascent legacy with Young Blood.
Check out the new Marcus King single “Blues Worse Than I Ever Had” below or on your preferred platform, as well as a live version recorded at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville. Young Blood is available here for pre-order.
Marcus King – “Blues Worse Than I Ever Had”