JD McPherson Advises ‘Don’t Travel Through The Night Alone’ In Preview Of 1st New Album In 6 Years

“To me, it’s the next logical step from my last one, Undivided Heart & Soul.” – JD McPherson

By Nate Todd Aug 21, 2024 3:03 pm PDT

JD McPherson detailed his first studio album of original music in six years, Nite Owls, due out on September 27 via New West Records. Along with the LP announcement, McPherson shared the single “Don’t Travel Through The Night Alone.”

Nite Owls follows McPherson’s 2017 record, Undivided Heart & Soul and his 2018 holiday collection SOCKS. The latter has been adapted into a children’s book arriving September 10. JD released a covers EP, Warm Covers 2, in 2023. McPherson has also been busy on the road with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, pulling double duty as support act and a member of the pair’s backing band.

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Nite Owls, however, has been a long time in the works and the journey wasn’t always easy.

“I actually recorded a version of Nite Owls several years ago in L.A., but the environment within my band just wasn’t working at all,” McPherson stated. “It was a painful time. And then the pandemic hit, and I went pretty dark.”

McPherson shifted gears and returned to familiar confines, Reliable Recorders in Chicago.

“I went back to where I made my first record, and it was a wonderful experience.” McPherson produced the 10-song LP, which was recorded “quick and fast and live,” as per press materials for Nite Owls.

“There’s no saxophone this time, there’s no r&b piano, but it’s a rock ‘n’ roll record,” McPherson added. “To me, it’s the next logical step from my last one, Undivided Heart & Soul.”

Nite Owls saw JD exercising some genre-blending, experimenting with glam, new wave, post-punk, surf rock and drawing influence from seemingly disparate artists as Depeche Mode and Duane Eddy.

“To me, the thread between Duane Eddy and Depeche Mode is that single-note, reverb-y guitar style,” McPherson said. “So it felt natural to blend that kind of big-string guitar thing with the classic stuff and a dash of surf. It made sense.”

JD previously shared Nite Owls opener “Sunshine Getaway” and “Shining Like Gold.” He now follows with the record’s penultimate track, “Don’t Travel Through The Night Alone.”

“The lyrics came quickly, but a long time after the musical ideas,” McPherson said of his latest single. “I think now the song is just a story about getting unstuck.”

Listen to “Don’t Travel Through The Night Alone” below:

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JD McPherson is in the midst of his tour with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, which wraps on September 1 in Colorado. He will kick off the Nite Owls headline tour on September 27 in Nashville and wrap on November 23 in Denver. Scroll down for JD McPherson’s itinerary and ticket info.

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Nite Owls Tracklist:

  1. Sunshine Getaway
  2. I Can’t Go Anywhere with You (Feat. Bloodshot Bill)
  3. Just Like Summer
  4. Nite Owls
  5. Shining Like Gold
  6. The Rock and Roll Girls
  7. Baby Blues
  8. The Phantom Lover of New Rochelle
  9. Don’t Travel Through the Night Alone
  10. That’s What a Love Song Does to You
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