Marcus King Details New Album ‘Young Blood’ & Shares Single

Guitarist Marcus King will release his sophomore solo studio album, Young Blood, on August 26 via Rick Rubin’s American Records/Republic Records. The Grammy-nominated axeman previewed the Dan Auerbach-produced LP by releasing its lead single, “Hard Working Man.”

The follow-up to 2020’s El Dorado was recorded at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio facility last summer. Marcus and Dan aimed to replicate the classic power trio sound that was prominent in the late ’60s and ’70s by having King backed by drummer Chris St. Hilaire and bassist Nick Movshon. The guitarist wrote the material on Young Blood with Dan Auerbach in conjunction with the likes of Desmond Child and Angelo Petraglia.

Young Blood was created during a tough period for King, who poured his emotions into its music. “I was going through a lot during the album with addictions, breakups, and addictions because of breakups. I was overindulging in everything,” noted the 26-year-old musician. “It’s not a big secret to my friends. I was in a real rough place for a while. I was trying to process the death of family members and I was on the wrong medications.”

Auerbach couldn’t be happier with how the album turned out despite Marcus’ personal challenges. The producer shared the following in regards to Young Blood:

“Music runs so deep in Marcus’s blood he might not even realize how born to do this he is. He’s the real deal. Marcus has Southern Soul as part of his foundation. If you’re going to play rock ‘n’ roll with Marcus, you have to understand that element. It’s just who he is. These songs are live performances. The whole damn thing is live—the solos and everything. It’s so rare in this day and age.”

Sizzling rocker “Hard Working Man” is somewhat autobiographical for Marcus. “We tour almost 200 days of the year, and even when I’m home, I’m doing something,” explained King. “Working hard is just the way I was raised. It would make my grandfather proud to know I’m a hard working man and I’ve worked for everything I have. It’s an anthem for the people. You’ve got folks who work all week and spend their hard-earned money just to come see us. They’re the backbone of America. It’s a real blessing.”

Stream “Hard Working Man” below:

Young Blood Tracklist

1. It’s Too Late
2. Lie Lie Lie
3. Rescue Me
4. Pain
5. Good and Gone
6. Blood On The Tracks
7. Hard Working Man
8. Aim High
9. Dark Cloud
10. Whisper
11. Blues Worse Than I Ever Had