Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts have today announced the release of their second studio album. “Rogue to Redemption” is due out on August 30th, 2024, via Gypsy Rose Records.
Tuk Smith is the kind of rock‘n’roll ambassador you didn’t think existed anymore. Punk maverick from rural Georgia, Biters frontman, producer and solo artist, he’s seen the best and worst of a music industry in constant flux.
By turns it’s left him critically acclaimed, poised for stadiums, dropped, burned out, back in the game and beloved by those for whom rock is still everything. Now based in Nashville, and with his own label Gypsy Rose Records, he creates from a more real place than most.
“I want to do something that means something to people”, Tuk says, “because a lot of shit nowadays is so disposable and so plastic. I just don’t connect with that. I’d like to do things that impact people positively. It’s a weird time on the planet, so to have songs about hope, but not be cheesy about it, it’s something I think we need with songwriting. That’s the kind of music I want to hear”.
The result is “Rogue to Redemption”, produced by Tuk and mixed by Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop, U2). The sonic lovechild of Thin Lizzy, 90s power pop and melody-driven punk, it shows an artistic peak born from adversity. The sound of a man bottling a lifetime of experiences, stories and characters from working class America. Lyrically, inspired by storytellers like Tom Petty, Phil Lynott and Bruce Springsteen, “Rogue to Redemption” comprises a Born to Run-esque series of vignettes – observation sprinkled with Tuk’s own experience.
“I was dropped from a label, nobody would sign me”, recalls Tuk, who wrote the album in solitude, mostly at a piano. “No booking agent would touch me. I had to figure out how to make my own records. I’ve always worked with other mentors, writers and producers, so for me to make this myself was a big leap of faith, because… you know, you might screw it up”!
Today, Tuk also drops brand new single “Blood on the Stage”. Listen the the new single here.
“Rogue to Redemption” will be available on CD, vinyl (including two limited colour variants – silver or purple), digitally, and as part of a number of merch bundles. Pre-order & pre-save the album here.
Tracklist:
1.Take the Long Way
2.Glorybound
3.End of an Era
4.Still a Dreamer
5.Little Renegade
6.Blood on the Stage
7.Lost Boy
8.Down the Road
9.Rogue to Redemption
10.When the Party’s Over
UK fans don’t have much longer to wait to catch the magic of Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts live, with a special run of album launch gigs kicking off on August 29th in Wolverhampton. Tickets are on sale now.
UK Live Shows 2024:
Thu 29th Aug – WOLVERHAMPTON The Giffard Arms
Fri 30th Aug – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Sat 31st Aug – LONDON Cart & Horses
Sun 1st Sep – BRIGHTON Prince Albert
For all tour dates – including shows in Spain, France, and Japan – and to get tickets, click here.
Fans have had their interest whetted over a number of earlier singles, most recently “Little Renegade”, which followed the release of lead single & Classic Rock’s Track of the Week “Take The Long Way” as well as “Glorybound”.
The new album follows Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts 2022 debut, “Ballad of a Misspent Youth. At the time, Classic Rock magazine asserted “Ballad of a Misspent Youth” is never less than exhilarating. Just the way rock‘n’roll should be”. The album’s title track romped straight on to playlists at UK rock radio stations, Planet Rock and Primordial Radio.
If you crave rock‘n’roll with substance, an edge, 21st century eyes, and an old soul’s heart – you’ve come to the right place.
Weblinks:
www.tuksmithandtherestlesshearts.com
www.facebook.com/TukSmithOfficial