Premiere: Yawning Sons ‘Cigarette Footsteps’ – New Album ‘Sky Island’ Drops Next Month

Wooah, have we got a treat in store for you. When I heard a whisper there was a new Yawning Sons album in the works, I struggled to contain my excitement as who can forget, the now ‘desert classic’, Ceremony To The Sunset. If for some reason you’ve been living under the proverbial (desert) rock and this stunning album passed you by, go right now and check it out before continuing. That’s an order, not a suggestion.

With that out of the way, lets concentrate on the here and now as this Anglo-American collective, featuring desert rock legends Yawning Man and UK post-rock visionaries Sons Of Alpha Centauri, have teamed up once again to bring us a new album, Sky Island. Set to be lovingly released by Ripple Music on the 26th March, it’s our absolute pleasure to premiere the third track, Cigarette Footsteps, featuring, dare I say it, the Mark Lanegan-esque dulcet tones of a one Mr Mario Lalli.

Bassist Nick Hannon comments on the track…

‘Cigarette Footsteps was initially written by myself and Gary with Kyle in Joshua Tree at Desert Sky. The vibe is totally Yawning Sons with this cool sweeping beat to it and some awesome ambient haunting tones from Gary. When Mario laid down his emotive vocals, it elevated it to one of our most atmospheric pieces. Marlon mixed the track and added a soaring solo that really adds to the atmospheric dimension. It feels like this is Yawning Sons at our peak emotional outlay and representative of the expanse of vibes contained on Sky Island. Soak it up!’

Now click play below to drift away for the eight minutes of Cigarette Footsteps and pre-orders are available now over on Bandcamp.

More On Yawning Sons & ‘Sky Island’

‘Look at that moon: we’re really in the desert now.’ – Gary Arce, Desert Sky Studios 2018.

And with those words, the recording session of the second Yawning Sons album concluded. Recorded live in the deepest part of Joshua Tree, Sky Island reinforces Yawning Sons as a collaborative phenomenon firmly adjoining desert rock heritage with progressive instrumentation.

Before they gathered in Joshua Tree, the Yawning Sons story started in 2008 when, during the pre-production of their then second album, Sons Of Alpha Centauri invited Gary Arce from Yawning Man over to the UK to work with them to develop and record some of the material. From the very first initial session, it was evident that something unique and special had been born.

Drenched in reverb and swirling in ambience, Yawning Sons had taken flight. The band, a portmanteau of the two respective collaborative bands, was joined by fellow Yawning Man founder Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson, Desert Sessions), Scott Reeder (Kyuss, The Obsessed) and Wendy Rae Fowler (Queens of the Stone Age, earthlings?) on vocals. Their debut album Ceremony To The Sunset was released in 2009 to near universal critical acclaim, and within five years was re-released on vinyl, heralded as a ‘desert classic’ and Yawning Sons had progressed to cult status.

For Sky Island, the original Yawning Sons line up that delivered the Ceremony To The Sunset debut returned, once again including exclusive performances from Mario Lalli, Scott Reeder and Wendy Rae Fowler. However, this desert rock heritage line up now includes highly respected desert rock stalwart Dandy Brown (Hermano, Orquesta del Desierto), also joining the band performing on several tracks. Founding member and bass player Nick Hannon commented: ‘We always loved Orquesta del Desierto, so having Dandy join us means a lot and feels right.’

The album’s opening track and lead single Adrenaline Rush sees the core band driven by Gary Arce‘s mystical Yawning Man tones and the signature SOAC bass drive of Nick Hannon driving the hard rock vibes from Marlon King with his alluring vocals setting the tone for what will surely be one of the purest desert rock albums of the decade.

Sky Island is indeed an album that captures the essence of musical ambience, drenching in reverb with chiming guitars and soaring melodies. The overarching vibes of heat and sun permeate through the record, but also the scenic identity of the record shifts towards the sheer scale of the mountains, the valleys and ultimately, the sky. These are stories that can only be told by the narrators on these tracks, and bind a story and a winding path.

Mastered by John McBain (Desert Sessions, Monster Magnet) and available across multiple deluxe and exclusive formats, this is the most essential desert rock release of the year. The sunset is eclipsing – look to Sky Island!

Yawning Sons are:
Gary Arce – Guitars
Marlon King – Guitars, Vocals
Nick Hannon – Bass
Stevie B – Drums
Kyle Hanson – Drums
Blake – Effects

Sky Island Vocalists:
Marlon King on Adrenaline Rush
Dandy Brown on Low In The Valley and Gravity Underwater
Mario Lalli on Cigarette Footsteps
Wendy Rae Fowler on Shadows And Echoes
Scott Reeder on Digital Spirit

Sky Island Tracklisting:
01. Adrenaline Rush
02. Low in the Valley
03. Cigarette Footsteps
04. Passport Beyond the Tides
05. Shadows and Echoes
06. Digital Spirit
07. Gravity Underwater
08. Limitless Artifact

Sky Island, the sublime new album from Yawning Sons will be released on 26th March through the forever faithful Ripple Music and pre-orders are available now over on the labels Bandcamp.

Label: Ripple Music
Yawning Sons: Facebook | Bandcamp
Yawning Man: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Sons Of Alpha Centauri: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram