LA rockers EELS have released a music video for their recent single “The Magic”, which was released last month. The single is plucked from the group’s forthcoming fourteenth studio album Extreme Witchcraft, which is set to be released on January 14th. You can view the video at the link below.
The CGI video depicts EELS singer Mark-Oliver Everett (otherwise known as “E”) descending into the depths of the ocean in a submarine, coming face to face with various deep-sea critters until he finds himself entering a man-made structure on the ocean floor.
The tune fits into a similar sonic vein to the previous two singles that the band has released, “Steam Engine” and “Good Night on Earth”, featuring a fuzzy, blues-tinged guitar riff that sits over a swaggering drum-beat and husky, laid-back vocals. The sound harkens back to the group’s 2001 album Souljacker, and for good reason, as the band finds themselves once again joined by PJ Harvey producer and guitarist John Parrish, who worked with the band on Souljacker.
Parrish’s involvement in the record is evident, and singer E had this to say of the producer, according to a press release: “John Parish is one of the most even-tempered, polite people I’ve ever met. A true gentleman. Actually, he’s probably THE most polite person I’ve ever met. But when he gets into the studio he becomes a mad scientist. If you make music with John Parish, you get stuff no one else does. He has a really unique toolbox and musical outlook. Perhaps his politeness is a coping mechanism to keep Mr. Hyde under control when he’s out of his laboratory.”
Again according to a press release, DIY Magazine, who previewed Extreme Witchcraft, called the forthcoming record “honest to god rock ‘n’ roll, and Uncut offered a great deal of praise, speaking favourably of its “wit, tunes and third degree self-awareness”.
To re-iterate, the album will be available worldwide on January 14th, and can be pre-ordered here. The track list can be viewed below.
1). Amateur Hour
2). Good Night On Earth
3). Strawberries And Popcorn
4). Steam Engine
5). Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve
6). Stumbling Bee
7). The Magic
8). Better Living Through Desperation
9). So Anyway
10). What It Isn’t
11). Learning While I Lose
12). I Know You’re Right
EELS will be embarking on a North American and UK/EU tour in Spring of 2022, entitled Lockdown Hurricane. The tour will commence in Belfast, Ireland on the 11th of March. Tickets can be found here, and the UK dates are listed down below.
11/03/2022- Telegraph Building- Belfast
12/03- Olympia Theatre- Dublin
14/03- Roundhouse- London
15/03- Albert Hall- Manchester
16/03- Barrowland- Glasgow
17/03- Rock City- Nottingham
18/03- O2 Guildhall- Southampton
Photo Credit: Gus Black/Press Release
