Jack White has officially confirmed the return of The Raconteurs for a new album, Help Us Stranger, slated for release on Friday, June 21st via White’s Third Man Records.
The Raconteurs consists of White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler. The new album will mark the Grammy Award-winners’ first release in more than a decade, serving as a follow-up to 2008’s Consolers of the Lonely.
As the press release notes about the upcoming album,
HELP US STRANGER sees the mighty combo reassembled, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever before as they continue to push rock ‘n’ roll forward into its future, bonding prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk, and Nashville soul via Benson and White’s uncompromising songcraft and the band’s steadfast musical muscle. With HELP US STRANGER, The Raconteurs have returned right when they are needed most, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition, infinite energy and a collectivist spirit operating at the peak of its considerable powers, once again creating a sound and fury only possible when all four of its members come together.
Help Us Stranger consists of 11 originals penned by White and Benson and one cover, “Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness),” which was written by Donovan. Recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, TN, the album was produced by The Raconteurs, engineered by Joshua V. Smith, and mixed by Vance Powell at Blackbird Studios. Keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, Queens of the Stone Age) and Lillie Mae Rische and her sister Scarlett Rische also appear on the album.
To coincide with the release, The Raconteurs and Third Man Records have revealed a special Help Us Stranger-themed Vault Package #40 that features a limited edition electric green/black/copper swirled vinyl LP. Pressed at Third Man Pressing in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, the 180-gram marble vinyl edition also features exclusive Vault-only moving image lenticular cover art. The companion 7-inch single will feature early demo recordings of two songs from the new album – “Help Me Stranger” and “Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)”. A Patrick Keeler-designed Raconteurs bandana and an exclusive Raconteurs slip mat are included in the package as well.
Additionally, Vault members will receive first pre-sale ticket access to more soon to be announced Raconteurs headline shows. Third Man Vault subscriptions are open now through April 30. All Help Us Stranger Vault packages will ship to arrive on or close to the album’s street date. For more information regarding Vault Package #40, additional Vault benefits, and subscription details, please visit Third Man Records’ website.
This weekend, the quartet will headline Third Man Records’ 10th-anniversary celebration in Nashville, TN on April 6th. The performance will mark The Raconteurs’ first live performance since 2011, and also feature performances by Lillie Mae, Craig Brown Band, Teddy & The Rough Riders, The Dirtbombs, The Gories, Detroit Cobras, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Soledad Brothers, and Todd Albright. Special guests at the festival will include Margo Price, Alison Mosshart, Carla Azar, Joshua Hedley, Dave Buick and more.
After that, The Raconteurs will celebrate their new album with a number of worldwide festival and headline dates, including their first-ever shows in Australia and New Zealand, a return to Japan, the U.K., and Europe, and U.S. festivals including Woodstock 50 in Watkins Glen, NY.
A North American headline tour will be announced in the coming weeks. For updates and tickets, please visit the band’s website.
Listen to previously-released “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You’re Gone” below: