Pretenders New Album, Alone, Due October 21

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We tipped you yesterday (September 7) on the first new studio album, Alone, in eight years from the Pretenders. Now, we’ve got the full details. The album is being released October 21; pre-order is available here.

Alone was recorded with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Studio in Nashville and initially conceived as a follow-up to band leader Chrissie Hynde’s 2014 solo debut, Stockholm, but, per the announcement: “as its songs and sonics took shape, the collection soon revealed itself as the first all new Pretenders LP since 2008’s Break Up the Concrete.

Hynde, who turned 65 on September 7, is backed by a team of what she calls “real people playing real instruments,” helmed by Auerbach and featuring Nashville session musicians including bassist Dave Roe (Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn), pedal steel pioneer Russ Pahl, and guitarist Kenny Vaughan, as well as keyboardist Leon Michels and drummer Richard Swift – both charter members of Auerbach’s garage rock combo The Arcs. Both Hynde and Auerbach hail from Akron, OH.

The first single “Holy Commotion!” has just been released…

Hynde released a solo album in 2014, Stockholm, and her memoirs, Reckless, last year. She talked to BBC Radio’s The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on September 7 about the album and tour: “I’m excited to get back on the road with Martin Chambers, the original Pretenders drummer.” She shared that “the album took just two weeks to record and I did the vocals in two days.” Click below to hear the two minute interview.

Hynde and Auerbach

From the announcement: highlights include “Roadie Man,” a softly sung paean to the hard working touring crew that has been kicking around Hynde’s unrecorded songbook for more than 25 years, the seductive “Let’s Get Lost” (co-written with songwriting superstars Amanda Ghost and Dave McCracken), and “Never Be Together,” featuring an inimitable contribution from legendary twang bar hero Duane Eddy.

“As soon as you hear one note you know who it is,” says Hynde. ‘I don’t get real excited about vintage guitars and stuff, but I do if someone else is playing them that brilliantly.” A full track listing appears below.

On Tuesday (September 6) word came that Stevie Nicks will be touring this fall with Pretenders on a 27-city North American tour.

American Express Card Members can purchase tickets for the “24 Karat Gold” tour before the general public through Sunday, September 11, at 10:00 p.m. Tickets for the general public go on sale beginning Monday, September 12, at here. Re-sale tickets are already available via our partners TicketNetwork.com. A full list of tour dates is below.

The Pretenders cross the bridge between punk, new wave and Top 40 pop music with hits like “Brass in Pocket (I’m Special),” “Back on the Chain Gang” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” The band has sold over 25 million albums. (A Best-Of is available here.)

Alone Track Listing:
1. Alone Song
2. Roadie Man
3. Gotta Wait
4. Never Be Together
5. Let’s Get Lost
6. Chord Lord
7. Blue Eyed Sky
8. Be The Man That You Are
9. One More Day
10. I Hate Myself
11. Death Is Not Enough
12. Holy Commotion

Watch Pretenders Rock Hall induction from 2005

Nicks has had six Top 10 albums and eight Grammy nominations. Her 2014 album 24 Karat Gold – Songs From The Vault debuted at #7 on Billboard‘s Top 200 Charts. (Album is available here.) As a member of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks recently performed 122 sold-out shows around the world during 2014-2015. Collectively as a solo artist and Fleetwood Mac band member, Nicks has sold over 140 million albums and won several Grammys.

24 Karat Gold Tour with Pretenders

Oct 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Arena
Oct 27 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
Oct 29 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Oct 30 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Nov 02 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Nov 04 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – BB&T Center
Nov 06 – Atlanta, GA – Phillips Arena
Nov 07 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Nov 10 – Charlotte, NC – Time Warner Cable Arena
Nov 12 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Nov 14 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center
Nov 15 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Nov 19 – Bethlehem, PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center
Nov 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Nov 23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
Nov 25 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Nov 27 – Detroit, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills
Nov 29 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Dec 1 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Dec 3 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Dec 5 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
Dec 6 – St Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Dec 9 – Vancouver. BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Center
Dec 11 – Seattle, WA – Key Arena
Dec 13 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Dec 14 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Dec 18 – Inglewood, CA – The Forum