Nicole Atkins Announces New Album Drama: Hear “When The Night Falls”
New Jersey native Nicole Atkins has a sound that's rooted in classic pop music, but it never sounds like pastiche because she brings so much charisma and vitality to it. She knows how to write and deliver a hook, too. Atkins has been putting out records for more than 20 years now, and she has made records with people like Spoon's Britt Daniel and the late Mark Lanegan . Atkins' most recent album Memphis Ice came out in 2021. Now, Chris Isaak has signed Atkins to Wicked Game Records, his new imprint on the historic Sun Records label, and she'll release her new album Drama comes out later this y
New Jersey native Nicole Atkins has a sound that's rooted in classic pop music, but it never sounds like pastiche because she brings so much charisma and vitality to it. She knows how to write and deliver a hook, too. Atkins has been putting out records for more than 20 years now, and she has made records with people like Spoon's Britt Daniel and the late Mark Lanegan . Atkins' most recent album Memphis Ice came out in 2021. Now, Chris Isaak has signed Atkins to Wicked Game Records, his new imprint on the historic Sun Records label, and she'll release her new album Drama comes out later this year.
Atkins recorded Drama in a quick four-day stretch in Nashville, her adapted hometown, with Wilco's Pat Sansone producing. Chris Isaak, Atkins' new label boss, shows up to sing the duet "Cue The Symphony" with her, and musicians like Dr. Dog's Eric Slick and the Texas Gentlemen’s Dan Creamer also make contributions. Lead single "When The Night Falls" is a shimmering, slow-building piece of old-school pop excellence. In a press release, Atkins says:
I got together with my old friend Emery Dobyns to write a song together. We had these chords, and the feeling from the music reminded me of something I would’ve written for my first album, Neptune City , and I thought about where I was back then. The toxic love affair. And tying it into who and where I am now, and being able to write a song about terrible love from a place of power. Some would call it growth. I’m just still in love with the "sound" of heartache. It gets me like no other.
Below, check out the "When The Night Falls" video, the Drama tracklist, and Atkins' upcoming tour dates.
TRACKLIST: 01 "Trippin' On Teardrops" 02 "Singing In The Mirror" 03 "Like A Stranger" 04 "When The Night Falls" 05 "Cue The Symphony" 06 "Like It’s The First Time" 07 "Curtain Call" 08 "For No One" 09 "Real Life" 10 "Crying Out Loud" 11 "Danny" 12 "Softly, As You Were"
TOUR DATES: 8/02 - Bethlehem, PA @ Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks 10/09 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe 10/10 - Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger 10/11 - Indianapolis, IN @ HIFI 11/13 - Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall 11/14 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar 11/15 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge 11/17 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club 11/18 - Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium 11/20 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme 11/21 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig 11/22 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland 11/24 - Albany NY @ Lark Hall 11/25 - Hamden, CT@ Space Ballroom 11/27 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Wonder Bar 11/28 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head 11/29 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall 12/01 - Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor 12/02 - Asheville, NC @ Revival 12/03 - Nashville, TN @ Skinny Dennis
The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.
