John Ross, the man behind the New York-based project Wild Pink, is one of the most consistently great, sincerely specific songwriters working in indie rock today. If you're not familiar, then "Box Store," the opening track from the forthcoming Wild Pink LP Still Coming Down, might serve as a great entry point. It's a beatific, harmonica-laced ode to a window-unit air conditioner and to much-loved character actor William Fichtner: "In those bloated dramas, he’s measured and calmer/ Than the other big dogs like Clooney and Wahlberg."
Wild Pink recorded Still Coming Down in Asheville with producer Alex Farrar, and it's got contributions from people like MJ Lenderman, Hand Habits' Meg Duffy, and a bunch of musicians from the Wednesday/Lenderman orbit. We've already posted lead single "Round Of Applause At The End Of The World," which rules. "Box Store" is really good, too. In a press release, John Ross says, "This was one of the last songs I wrote for the album, and it immediately felt like the opener when I started on it. It kind of reminded me of Warren Zevon, so I leaned into that direction with it."
Wes Sterrs directed the "Box Store" video, and it's the second chapter of a four-part story that began with the "Round Of Applause At The End Of The World" clip. Below, check out that clip and Wild Pink's touring itinerary.
TOUR DATES:
5/29 - Chicago, IL @ Do Division Street Fest
7/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Spruce Street Harbor Park
9/01 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
9/02 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
9/03 - Brighton, UK @ Komedia
9/04 - Wiltshire, UK @ End of the Road Festival
9/05 - Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
9/06 - Manchester, UK @ Gullivers
9/07 - London, UK @ The Lexington
9/09 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic
9/10 - Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
9/12 - Parma, IT @ What Goes On Festival
10/08 - Fort Collins, CO @ The Armory
10/09 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Lulu’s Downtown
10/10 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
10/13 - Santa Fe, NM @ Marigold
10/14 - Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater *
10/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether *
10/16 - Del Mar, CA @ The Sound *
10/17 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst *
10/18 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater *
10/20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Castro *
10/21 - Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre *
10/22 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox *
10/23 - Missoula, MT @ The Wilma *
10/24 - Boseman, MT @ The Elm *
10/26 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave *
10/28 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre *
10/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom *
10/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre - Egyptian Room *
10/31 - Lexington, KY @ The Burl Outdoors *
11/01 - Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theatre *
11/02 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Jones Assembly *
12/02 - Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts ^
12/03 - Montreal, QC @ La Sotterenea ^
12/04 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison ^
12/05 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House ^
12/07 - Nashville, TN @ The End ^
12/09 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Club ^
12/10 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music Hall ^
12/12 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ^
* with Shakey Graves
^ with Hiding Places
Still Coming Down is out 8/21 on Fire Talk.
