The Men perform at Fun Fun Fun Fest. Photo by Bryan Parker.
The Men are exploring America’s musical landscape. When the Brooklyn-based band burst onto the scene in 2011 with the release of their second album, they were pumping out abrasive, caustic punk rock. After the more accessible album Open Your Heart, the group shifted significantly, blending their raw punk with the heartfelt Americana of Neil Young. Now, the band is poised to release their new LP Tomorrow’s Hits on March 4th on Sacred Bones Records.
The Men perform at Fun Fun Fun Fest. Photo by Bryan Parker.
From that album, The Men initially shared the track “Pearly Gates,” a Basement Tapes-era opus that stretched out over six minutes with whining guitars, tinkling piano, crunchy bass, and vocals that clearly invoked Dylan. The song was the first evidence that The Men would be continuing down the Americana path they had begun. However, the band’s trademark aggression and ferocious, lo-fi production remained.
Today, we’ve been graced with not one but two new songs from The Men: “Another Night” and “Different Days.” The former emphasizes brass as it wonders through a young Springstein-esque daydream–I’m talking Asbury Park. It’s fucking amazing. The latter features nuanced organ and balances the uptempo relentlessness of the band with accessible melodies that look in the direction of Tom Petty. “Pearly Gates” had me excited to hear the rest of Tomorrow’s Hits. Now, I simply can’t wait. Hear all three songs below.
