Jesse Welles has announced his sixth studio album, Masks Off. Due out June 12th, the record is being previewed with its pointed lead single and title track, which you can stream below.
As the followup to his Grammy-nominated collection of field recordings, last year’s Under the Powerlines II (October 24 – December 24), Masks Off continues to showcase Welles’ fearless folk songwriting. Working with producer and collaborator Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan), Welles recorded 11 tracks for the release, including live staples “Join Ice,” “Red,” and “Domestic Error.”
The lead single and title track continues those songs’ protest threads; as is Welles wont, he posted an in-the-wild acoustic rendition of the track on YouTube a few months ago. The lyrics spill out of Welles in a sort of folk-rap torrent, calling out the opposition by name: “I can’t tell you what’s worse/ The message was terse/ Outright white supremacists/ Or America First?/ I think they both sell merch.”
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Speaking of “Masks Off” in a press release, Welles said, “It’s the culmination of the I.C.E. surge in Minnesota, the abduction of Venezuela’s leader, and the post-D.O.G.E. world where we’re realizing the masks are off, and they’re doing things in broad daylight without caring. Hate is out in the open, it’s permissible, and it’s encouraged.”
Watch the video for “Masks Off” below, and pre-order the record here. Check out the album art and tracklist below.
Welles already had his 26-date “Red Tour” mapped out ahead of the announcement. Find the full itinerary ahead, and snag tickets here.
Masks Off Album Art:
Masks Off Tracklist:
01. Masks Off
02.The Ballad of Big Balls
03. Everything Must Die
04.Technopagans
05. Meet the New Swamp
06. Siddhartha
07. Won’t You Come Out Tonight
08. Domestic Error
09. Red
10. Join Ice
11. This and Not Some Other Way
Jesse Welles 2026 “Red Tour” Dates:
07/09-12 – Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Folk Festival
07/11 – Saint Paul, MN @ Minnesota Country Club Fest
07/24 – Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company *
07/25 – Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards *
07/26 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater *
07/27 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater *
07/29 – Richmond, VA @ Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden *
07/31 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17 *
08/01 – Lafayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards *
08/03 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Meijer Gardens *
08/04 – Indianapolis, IN @ Rock The Ruins *
08/05 – Kansas City, MO @ Grinders *
08/07-09 – Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
08/07-09 – Alta, WY @ Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival
08/09 – Missoula, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater ^
08/11 – Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo ^
08/12 – Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square ^
08/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden ^
08/15 – Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheater ^
08/18 – Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse Omaha ^
08/19 – Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom ^
08/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant ^
09/06 – George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
09/18-20 – East Aurora, NY @ Borderland Music Festival
09/27 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond
10/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern +
10/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern +
10/09 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/16 – Nashville, TN @ The Pinnacle +
10/17 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed +
10/18 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre +
10/20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE +
10/21 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem +
10/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia +
10/24 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner +
10/26 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! +
* = w/ Steph Strings
^ = w/ Ratboys
+ = w/ Hudson Freeman
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source consequence.net ’
