For the first time since 2006, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be releasing new music, with contributions from some of modern rock’s greatest legends.
The upcoming album, Unvarnished, will be released on October 1. Though it will be Jett’s fourteenth studio album with the Blackhearts, Jett claims that the lyrical subject matter will be more autobiographical and deeply personal than ever before, including songs about the death of her parents. Along with this, she will touch on more universally relatable and culturally significant topics such as the recent Hurricane Sandy tragedy–and the limits of privacy placed on social media users in our modern age.
Jett believes the album was a full-band effort, and feels very much like the Blackhearts. But the contributions add an exciting element to the record as well: Dave Grohl, who has certainly been keeping busy so far in 2013, and Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, who has bravely battled transphobic criticism from former fans of her band and who has recently announced solo tour dates for this month.
The first single from the album, “Any Weather,” will be debuted next week on Jimmy Kimmel Live.