Bruce Hornsby FLICTED release out May 27

A new record from Bruce Hornsby entitled ‘Flicted is out on May 27. Here’s the track listing and pre-order links.

Bruce Hornsby Flicted 1. “Sidelines” featuring Ezra Koenig (3.minutes 32 sec)
2. “Tag” (4:32)
3. “The Hound” (3:31)
4. “Too Much Monkey Business” (3:55)
5 .“Maybe Now” (2:48)
6. “Bucket List” (3:35)
7. “Days Ahead” featuring Danielle Haim (4:58)
8. “Lidar” (4:19)
9. “Is This It” (4:37)
10. “Had Enough” (4:30)
11. “Simple Prayer II” featuring Ethan Gruska, Z. Berg and Rob Moose (2:50)
12 ..“Point Omega” (3:01)

Stereogum has the scoop, with quotes from Bruce. 

Waterloo Records describes it as “a more upbeat record overall, speaking on COVID-19 using the world of science as a recurring influence”. Bruce describes it to them. Bruce tells them the title “relates to this strange time in which we live, when the world is basically, well, ‘flicted”.

The structure on the cover has acted as a restaurant, wine bar, gas station and latterly an art museum called the Coffee Pot in Lexington, Virginia. (“‘Flicted” also marks the first time that Bruce has appeared on the cover of one of his studio releases since “A Night on the Town“!)

“Too Much Monkey Business” is a reworking of the Chuck Berry original, and is the first ever cover on a Bruce Hornsby studio release.

Single “Sidelines” out now:

Here’s the amazing video for the first single, “Sidelines”, created by Kitty Ninon Anais.

Pre-order links:

Ezra Koenig on Bruce Hornsby Flicted record
Ezra Koenig
Compact Disc:
Digital:
Vinyl:

Track by track:

Sidelines features Ezra Koenig and Blake Mills, and is inspired by Don DeLillo. Bruce says it’s about “hysteria in various forms, starting with the Salem witch trials of the 1600s to the present day pandemic era panic”.

Tag is also inspired by Don DeLillo’s work.

The Hound is similarly based on the writing of David Foster Wallace.

Too Much Monkey Business is a Chuck Berry original, and marks the first time Bruce includes a cover on a studio release. He also did this song with Leon Russell on his Anything Can Happen record.

Maybe Now – we have nothing yet!

Bucket List – Bruce mentioned this song to us for the website a couple of years ago. He said he was inspired by Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)’s soundtrack on The Master and that he and Chip deMatteo were working on “a fairly crazy track”. At the time he spoke to us, Bruce was playing fiddle on this track.

Days Ahead is a duet with Danielle Haim, and was played live for the first time in Knoxville on March 29 2022.

Lidar – LIDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, a method for using light to measure the distance of something from the earth. That’s as much as we know about the song as yet!

Is This It and Had Enough – nothing yet!

Simple Prayer II – a version of this was in the SCKBSTD musical, although that was eleven years ago. There was some chatter, included transcribed lyrics, on our Facebook community group. Ethan Gruska, Z. Berg and Rob Moose feature.

Point Omega – also the title of a novel by Don DeLillo. The blurb for the book reads, “Richard Elster, a retired secret war adviser, has retreated to a forlorn house in a desert, ‘somewhere south of nowhere’. But his planned isolation is interrupted when he is joined by a young filmmaker intent on documenting his experience in a one-take film. The two men sit on the deck, drinking and talking. Weeks go by. And then Elster’s daughter Jessie visits. When a devastating event follows, all the men’s talk, the accumulated meaning of conversation and isolation, is thrown into question.”

Cast

Ezra Koenig is lead vocalist for Vampire Weekend. He also created the Netflix animated comedy series Neo Yokio, and hosts the podcast “Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig”.

Danielle Haim provides lead vocals, guitar and drums for indie rock sister trio Haim. They were nominated for Best New Artist at the 57th Grammys, and their last two records to date were also nominated for Album of the Year.

Danielle Haim on Bruce Hornsby Flicted record
Danielle Haim

Danielle and Ezra have worked together before, most especially on Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride record.

Ethan Gruska has worked extensively with Phoebe Bridgers, Rob Moose and Bon Iver. AllMusic describes his work as “a reflective, literate style in the vein of influences like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell”.

Z Berg has previously worked with Bruce and sang the female vocal on Invisible on his record “Levitate”.

Rob Moose has contributed violin and viola on Bruce’s last two releases, “Absolute Zero” and “Non-Secure Connection“.

We’ll have more content for you as we get it – pre-order links, YouTube videos, singles – everything as it becomes available.

The new record from Bruce Hornsby, ‘Flicted, is out May 27.

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