American alternative rock band Chavez (Matt Sweeney, Clay Tarver, James Lo, Scott Marshall) has announced they will be releasing a new 3-song 12”/digital EP titled Cockfighters this January on Matador Records. Recorded in 2015 with longtime associate John Agnello; this new EP has been given a release date of January 13, 2017 and will be the band’s first release of new recordings since their 1996 album Gone Glimmering. While the group never officially broke up they’ve remained in a form that would best be described by an “It’s complicated” status on Facebook. Despite the various members reuniting sporadically since their last official release, those reunions have never been made official by the release of new music.
The lengthy interlude between releases isn’t being blamed on bad blood between bandmates but rather each of them having a variety of interests alongside making killer rock tunes. For instance, aside from playing the bass, Scott Marshall is a filmmaker who works and surfs in Malibu each and every day. When James Lo isn’t behind the drum kit he spends his time designing sound for contemporary dance and creating bits of hardware and software for music and theater. Guitarist Clay Tarver is also a screenwriter whose work can be seen on the HBO series “Silicon Valley”. Though always working somehow in the music scene lead singer Matt Sweeney branches out from Chavez’ rock sound and has can be heard lending his talent to icons and pop prodigies including Iggy Pop and Neil Diamond, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Adele and Run The Jewels. During the break, Sweeney also joined forces with Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and Slint guitarist David Pajo in a music project named Zwan.
Now that the group has reigned in their respective talents and interests to release their new EP it’s intriguing to see what direction it will take. Cockfighters is being described as “Three songs in nine minutes; a new chapter and a willful engagement with the masculine issues—both hidden and overt—of our time.”
The first single “The Bully Boys” has been released onto Chavez’ official Facebook page and just from reading the comment section it seems that it is the song fans of Chavez have been patiently waiting to hear.
Cockfighters Tracklist:
1. The Singer Lied
2. Blank In The Blaze
3. The Bully Boys
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