The Black Crowes have announced their first studio recording since the band’s 2010 acoustic album, Croweology. Their new EP, called 1972, pays homage to songs released in the year 1972 with six covers of different artists from disparate genres, all with a Black Crowes spin.

Among the covers to be featured on the forthcoming album are the Rolling Stones’ “Rocks Off”, T-Rex’s “The Slider”, Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well”, Little Feat’s “Easy to Slip”, David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”, and The Temptations‘ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”, which the band has released as the EP’s first single.

Why record an EP of songs released in the ’70s 50 years later? “1972 is a watershed moment,” said Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson. “We’ve always worn our love for music on our sleeves, and the artists that have inspired us. We picked some songs that have holy significance to us. They’re like holy artifacts. … By the time we made our first record, 1972 wasn’t cool yet. This record is just about love and devotion to something that makes us feel good.”

Related: The Black Crowes Announce 2022 ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ Tour Dates

Known for their history of brotherly strife, Chris and Rich Robinson used 1972 as a way to take “baby steps” towards repairing their creative partnership, according to Rolling Stone. Singer Chris Robinson suggested that recording covers put less pressure on the duo than laboring through an album of new originals might have. “Part of getting our band back together, and to get Rich and I in the same place, has to be a celebration of rock n roll,” he said.

Recording amidst their ongoing Shake Your Money Maker Tour, which celebrates The Black Crowes’ 1990 debut album of the same name, the brothers Robinson were only in the studio long enough to lay down Rich’s parts before the guitarist contracted COVID-19 and had to step away from the project. He has since recovered and the band has set their sights on recording new original music in January of next year. Chris Robinson says that he has already written “15 or 20” potential tracks.

The Black Crowes’ 1972 will be available exclusively through Amazon Music on May 4th, with a wide release scheduled for May 6th. The first single off the EP, a cover of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” by The Temptations, is out now. Check out a video about the project below, and to view the band’s upcoming tour dates and purchase tickets, click here.

The Black Crowes – 1972 Studio Session

[Video: The Black Crowes]

[h/t Rolling Stone]