The Stray Cats Announce New Album And June 2019 UK Tour

It’s perhaps the case that this act has underrated the clamour for a return to the scene…but now they are set to catch up and reap a harvest…

Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)–original founding members of the iconic and acclaimed American rock and roll trio–are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and a June 2019 UK tour.

A full list of dates, venues and ticket links can be found below.

The Stray Cats have titled the album ’40’. Marking their first new album in 26 years, it will be released on Friday 24th May 2019 via Surfdog Records and distributed by Mascot Label Group (CD, LP, Digital) in Europe and the UK (CD, vinyl, digital). The song titles alone–including “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” “Rock It Off,” “Mean Pickin’ Mama,” and “Devil Train”—instantly let listeners know they’re in for a non-stop rocking time.

The first instant grat track, “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” is available now with a pre-order of the album. The song is also streaming on Spotify and on YouTube. A Limited Box with CD including 2 bonus tracks and the Stray Cats-themed coasters (2x), postcard and 2 stickers will arrive on Friday 24th May 2019. As well as limited LP on 180 grams silver vinyl: http://bit.ly/2CoNjbY

You can listen to “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)” in this article.

The Stray Cats recorded ’40’ at Blackbird Studios in Nashville in late 2018 following their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows in Las Vegas and the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA before wildly enthusiastic audiences. Still buzzing from the thrill of playing together again and crowd response, they went into the studio with producer Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). There are a dozen original songs that comprise the album.

Here’s what the guys have to say:

Brian Setzer: “You have to understand how unique The Stray Cats are. It’s me playing an old hollow body guitar, Slim Jim playing two or three drums, and Lee Rocker slapping a stand-up acoustic bass. I get to write new songs and then play them with my buddies. Somehow we created a new and exciting sound with this simple idea. And you know what? A lot of people agree!”

Lee Rocker: “This new album really feels like the first record we did, it’s really natural and comfortable. For the recording, we went live–like doing a gig, we recorded in a real, organic way. We were all in one room standing next to each other recording live, with the amps turned up to 10, it captured the undefinable things that happen when a band is great, it captured the magic that takes place and an undefined spark.”

Slim Jim Phantom: “We’re very, very focused when we get into the studio, it didn’t feel like a long time had passed since we had done this, it felt very natural and familiar. We were all in a row with everyone watching each other, so it felt like a gig in the set-up. We really embraced that a little bit for the album, it’s like an old way of making records. The modern is meeting the vintage, which has always been our inspiration.”

‘40’  Album Tracklisting:

1. Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)
2. Rock It Off
3. I’ve Got Love If You Want It
4. Cry Danger
5. I Attract Trouble
6. Three Time’s A Charm
7. That’s Messed Up
8. When Nothing’s Going Right
9. Desperado
10. Mean Pickin’ Mama
11. I’ll Be Looking Out For You
12. Devil Train

+Bonus tracks – Box Set ONLY
CRY BABY (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018)
DOUBLE TALKIN’ BABY (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018)

Pete Sargeant