In a genre as storied as American roots and soul, Nashville-based sister duo LARKIN POE are poised to make a mark all their own with the release of their fourth album Venom & Faith, out November 9, 2018. Rather than concede to the history of the canon they hold dear or rest on their laurels, Larkin Poe persist and emerge rattling, stomping, and sliding into a modern-day depiction of what roots rock should sound like… another chapter in an everlasting story. “It’s a celebration of American roots music as translated by two sisters who are playing the blues in a modern age,” says Rebecca Lovell about their new album.
The followup to their critically-acclaimed second album Peach which was nominated for aBlues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist Album, Venom & Faith was produced by both the band and their long-time engineer Roger Alan Nichols. Those who pre-order the record will receive “Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues” and “Ain’t Gonna Cry” as instant grat tracks.
Recorded in Nashville earlier this year in between headline shows, festival dates such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and a featured guest performer spot on Keith Urban’s GraffitiU World Tour, Larkin Poe approached Venom & Faith with fierce independence. From Rebecca’s powerful vocals on “Ain’t Gonna Cry” to Megan’s sultry lap steel on “Good And Gone,” the sisters weave their talents into the fabric of their experience and a picture of the American South. “Blue Ridge Mountains” harkens to the sisters’ hometown, “drinking sweet tea every day” with stomping percussion and churning riffs.
Still, the sisters maintain an outlaw mindset in a traditional genre. Unbound by tawdry embellishments, Larkin Poe infuse pop sensibilities into their sound, blending old-school elements of rock and soul with drum samples, hip-hop production values, and resonant lyrics like “California king-sized dreams in a twin bed.” Venom & Faith redefines what it means to make emotionally resonant music while also maintaining boundary-pushing musicality.
Save for two covers (“Sometimes” by blues legend Bessie Jones and Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”), the rest of the record’s tracks are Larkin Poe originals. Paired with unique production touches like organic percussion sounds — the thumping of dresser drawers, the slamming of back doors, and stomping on hardwood floors — Venom & Faith bleeds Lovell. The sisters once again tackle a majority of the instrumentation on the album with some help from friends, including seasoned guitar legend Tyler Bryant who adds his slide stylings on “Mississippi.”
The album’s title, Venom & Faith, is taken from a lyric on “Honey Honey” and, according to the sisters, is intended to conjure a southern gothic image. “The title of our last album, Peach, was an homage to our Georgia roots. With this album, we wanted a title that would allude to the duality of our art: gritty guitars offset by gentle vocals; musical moments of both tragedy and joy; the sacred and the profane.”
Venom & Faith will be released independently on November 9, 2018. Album pre-orders and pre-saves on Spotify, iTunes and other digital retailers are available here https://lnk.to/BleachBlondeBottleBlues.