White Denim Recruit 2015 US Air Guitar World Championship Finalist Michael "Operation Rock a [Meow]" Lovely for Tumultuous Riff-laden "Holda You (I'm Psycho)"
"Three years on from their critically acclaimed "barbeque" record Corsicana Lemonade, White Denim are back with more than just a new album to commemorate. Their sixth record, Stiff – out 25 March, 2016 via Downtown/Sony Red – is a return to the Austin quartet's frenetic rock band roots, and is both a jubilant thrill ride and joyous celebration of their past ten years," Downtown Records gushed within a label-sanctioned press release on the heels of Stiff lead-off single, "Holda You (I'm Psycho)." Stiff was preceded by frontman James Pertalli's lone solo outing under his newly-minted Bop English moniker, Constant Bop (April 2015) and a series of blistering 70's-indebted White Denim covers including "Custard Pie," Fargo-premiered "Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)," and "Light Up or Leave Me Alone." Mere weeks ahead of Thanksgiving, Downtown sent out an email to anyone who had purchased Corsicana Lemonade, which was somewhat mysteriously titled Shhhh... White Denim in 2016; "as White Denim's record label, we want to get the fans involved with everything White Denim that's happening in 2016... White Denim is such a special band to us, so we want to do something really cool in 2016 that's never been done before that you would be stoked to see happen. We have three questions for you. Let's have some fun."
Downtown Records' attached three-pronged fan survey included questions concerning the "coolest packaging" one could imagine for a future vinyl release, what the ultimate White Denim fan would do if presented the opportunity to hang out with the band, and elements they would like to see included in their live show. "'Holda You (I'm Psycho)" sounds like a band [re-energized] and [revitalized], resulting in what Petralli describes as a "high heat, high energy,"' Downtown continued. Stiff, which was nearly titled Ten in honor of both Pearl Jam and the band's tenth anniversary, features the debut of new band members Jonathan Horne and Jeffrey Olson, upon the sudden departure of former guitarist Austin Jenkins and drummer Joshua Block, who are now recording full-time with buzz-worthy crooner Leon Bridges. Director Kyle Gaughan's chunky riff-laden "Holda You" video was coincidentally released just one day after White Denim's Thursday afternoon Stiff announcement, which will additionally be accompanied by a state-hopping 31-date 2016 Stiff Tour. Gaughan ingeniously cast 2015's US Air Guitar World Championship finalist Michael "Operation Rock a P***y" Lovely as a fittingly white denim-outfitted air guitar-wielding axe man; plugged in sittin' on the dock of the bay, whilst straddling an crocodile's ferocious bite, amidst beautiful mountain tops and greener pastures, comfortably seated betwixt the wings of a bald eagle, and sporting an odd head and torso-less green screen-aided vest trickery. White Denim's forthcoming Stiff is currently available for pre-order in a number of CD, LP, and glitzy deluxe edition packages, ahead of it's March 25th world-wide release.