Shellac Announces Long-Awaited Sixth Album, ‘To All Trains’
Noise rock veterans Shellac are finally gracing fans with new material. The trio, led by the ever-present Steve Albini, revealed their first album in a decade, titled To All Trains, via social media on March 20th.
To All Trains marks Shellac’s sixth studio effort and their first since 2014’s Dude Incredible. The record is slated for release on May 17th, 2024, via the iconic independent label Touch and Go. Pre-orders are available now.
Details about the album are scarce, but the Touch and Go website offers a glimpse into the tracklist, featuring intriguing titles like “WSOD,” “Girl From Outside,” “Wednesday,” and the stoic declaration, “I Don’t Fear Hell.” Interestingly, the recording process for To All Trains stretched across several years, with sessions taking place at Albini’s Electrical Audio studio in Chicago over “a bunch of long weekends” in November 2017, October 2019, September 2021, and finally wrapping up in March 2022.
In a statement to Consequence, the band assures fans that the new album won’t alter their notoriously low-key touring schedule. “The band will continue to play shows or tour at the same sporadic and relaxed pace as always,” they declared, “There is no correlation between shows and record releases.”
For those unfamiliar, Steve Albini is a towering figure in alternative rock, renowned not only for his guitar work in Shellac but also for his prolific production career. Albini’s sonic fingerprints grace albums by Nirvana (including their seminal In Utero), Pixies, and countless other underground heroes.
Shellac’s return with To All Trains is sure to excite fans of their signature brand of abrasive yet meticulously crafted noise rock. With a cryptic title and a fragmented recording process shrouded in mystery, To All Trains promises a potent dose of Shellac’s uncompromising musical vision.
