Lucius has signed with Fantasy Records for future album releases, including the first to come down the chute in the deal, an all-new re-recording of the group’s seminal “Wildewoman” album.
Set for release May 31, “Wildewoman (The New Recording)” will include 12-13 freshly recorded tracks, including songs with featured appearances by Brandi Carlile, Marcus Mumford and Devon Gilfillian. Though the original album had a dozen tracks, Carlile — who produced the band’s previous album — is on a 13th track, “Housewarming,” that was not part of the original album back in 2013, but is considered a fan favorite; it will be tagged onto only on the vinyl and CD editions.
The first single, “How Loud Your Heart Gets (The New Recording),” is out now, with an accompanying music video.
Although Lucius had one self-released album out prior to the set that’s being recreated, the long-out-of-print “Songs From the Bromley House,” the members consider “Wildewoman” to be their true debut effort, and the one that put them on the map. In a statement, they said that they went back to this 11-year-old album not to do a sound-alike that would divert royalties from their previous label, Mom + Pop, a la Taylor Swift, but as an attempt to reinterpret the breakout album with a more seasoned musicality.
“Last fall, we were coming up on the 10-year anniversary of our debut album, ‘Wildewoman,’ and wanted to find a special way to honor and celebrate it,” the band wrote in a statement. “We put together a tour, and planned to approach it old-school style — with the same instrumentation, same setup, same backdrop, same look. We even sprinkled in the same covers we used to do on the original tour, ending the show in the middle of the crowd, like the good old days.
“We wanted to bring back that same spark and energy you really only get in the beginning, when everything is new and all firsts feel magical,” they continued. “But actually, we were tighter musically, the fans even more dedicated, and our growth as a band showed itself in wonderful ways. We realized that in tandem with this idea, and because of the time that had passed, we could re-record the entire record outside of any conflict with our old label; we could come at it with more experience, more discernment, and take liberties with some of the arrangements. We brought back the original five members, and invited friends to collaborate with us to make this home-of-a-record even more lived in and loved. We’re proud of the outcome and excited to introduce ‘Wildewoman’ in its essence, with a little more life under her belt: ‘Wildewoman (The New Recordings).’”
Lucius is currently comprised of Jess Wolfe (vocals, keyboards), Holly Laessig (vocals, keyboards), Dan Molad (drums) and Peter Lalish (guitar). Molad produced and mixed the new album at Altamira Studios and Sounds Like a Fire Studios in Los Angeles.
The new version of the album has a different cover — but by the same painter. “Le mur du son – ©1966” is Belgian ’60s pop artist and feminist icon Evelyne Axell, whose 1964 painting “Ice Cream 1″ fronted the original ‘Wildewoman’ back in 2013.
Frontwomen Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig just wrapped up a 10-city tour collaborating throughout the course of each evening with the band Dawes. (See Variety‘s review of the Lucius/Dawes tour’s closing night here.)
Next up, Lucius will be part of a triple bill, supporting the National and the War on Drugs for an 18-ciy that begins Sept. 12 at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH and wraps up on Oct. 7 at the Hollywood Bowl.
The group’s last album of new material was the Carlile- and Dave Cobb-produced “Second Nature,” released in 2022.
Wolfe and Laessig have also been featured as vocalists on albums by Carlile, Harry Styles, the War on Drugs, Ozzy Osbourne, the Killers, Brandy Clark, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Grace Potter, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, John Legend and Roger Waters, the latter of whom they toured with extensively singing the backup parts of vintage Pink Floyd records.