Steve Albini’s rock trio Shellac have announced their first album since 2014’s Dude Incredible. The LP, which will not be available on streaming, is titled To All Trains, and it’s set to arrive on May 17th.
Through a statement, band members Steve Albini, Todd Trainer, and Bob Weston revealed that To All Trains is an album that has been nearly seven years in the making. Recording for the project took place in Chicago “over a bunch of long weekends in November, 2017; October, 2019; September, 2021; and March, 2022,” they shared.
The new record will be available in CD and vinyl format, and a pre-sale is now underway. Some additional details about the project can be found with Touch and Go Records, like the fact that Weston took all the photos for artwork himself, “some with a fancy camera and some with a telephone.” The vinyl LP is being manufactured by Green Vinyl Records, and the band has taken every step to ensure top quality for the audio. The physical components for the vinyl were also procured from 100% recycled materials, which were then pressed in a climate-conscious process that uses 79% less CO2 than conventional hydraulic PVC vinyl presses.
As To All Trains will only be available in physical format, there’s no clues yet when it comes to how the record will sound. As for any live performances, Shellac are keeping details close for now — “The band will continue to play shows or tour at the same sporadic and relaxed pace as always. There is no correlation between shows and record releases,” they confirmed in the album announcement.
To All Trains Artwork:
To All Trains Tracklist:
01. WSOD
02. Girl From Outside
03. Chick New Wave
04. Tattoos
05. Wednesday
06. Scrappers
07. Days Are Dogs
08. How I Wrote How I Wrote Elastic Man (cock & bull)
09. Scabby the Rat
10. I Don’t Fear Hell