New Jersey native Nicole Atkins has a sound that’s rooted in classic pop music, but it never sounds like pastiche because she brings so much charisma and vitality to it. She knows how to write and deliver a hook, too. Atkins has been putting out records for more than 20 years now, and she has made records with people like Spoon’s Britt Daniel and the late Mark Lanegan. Atkins’ most recent album Memphis Ice came out in 2021. Now, Chris Isaak has signed Atkins to Wicked Game Records, his new imprint on the historic Sun Records label, and she’ll release her new album Drama comes out later this year.
Atkins recorded Drama in a quick four-day stretch in Nashville, her adapted hometown, with Wilco’s Pat Sansone producing. Chris Isaak, Atkins’ new label boss, shows up to sing the duet “Cue The Symphony” with her, and musicians like Dr. Dog’s Eric Slick and the Texas Gentlemen’s Dan Creamer also make contributions. Lead single “When The Night Falls” is a shimmering, slow-building piece of old-school pop excellence. In a press release, Atkins says:
I got together with my old friend Emery Dobyns to write a song together. We had these chords, and the feeling from the music reminded me of something I would’ve written for my first album, Neptune City, and I thought about where I was back then. The toxic love affair. And tying it into who and where I am now, and being able to write a song about terrible love from a place of power. Some would call it growth. I’m just still in love with the “sound” of heartache. It gets me like no other.
Below, check out the “When The Night Falls” video, the Drama tracklist, and Atkins’ upcoming tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Trippin’ On Teardrops”
02 “Singing In The Mirror”
03 “Like A Stranger”
04 “When The Night Falls”
05 “Cue The Symphony”
06 “Like It’s The First Time”
07 “Curtain Call”
08 “For No One”
09 “Real Life”
10 “Crying Out Loud”
11 “Danny”
12 “Softly, As You Were”
TOUR DATES:
8/02 – Bethlehem, PA @ Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks
10/09 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
10/10 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger
10/11 – Indianapolis, IN @ HIFI
11/13 – Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall
11/14 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
11/15 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
11/17 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
11/20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
11/21 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
11/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland
11/24 – Albany NY @ Lark Hall
11/25 – Hamden, CT@ Space Ballroom
11/27 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Wonder Bar
11/28 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head
11/29 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
12/01 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
12/02 – Asheville, NC @ Revival
12/03 – Nashville, TN @ Skinny Dennis
Drama is out 9/28 on Wicked Game/Sun. Pre-order it here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stereogum.com ’
