Neko Case is about to release her first solo album in five years with Hell-On. The new record is set to come out on June 1st via ANTI-, and as fans wait patiently for its release, Case has unveiled a new duet with Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan titled “Curse of the I-5 Corridor.”
The new song clocks in about seven minutes but it never falters. “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” winds along bringing listeners on a journey just like the interstate that it references. For those who don’t know, the I-5 runs along the West Coast of the U.S., from the Mexican to Canadian border. A melancholy folk song that blends the voices of Case and Langan as they sing about a relationship with lyrics, “Now I’ll see you in our old home/ Where I’m always scared to go/ Those 30 garbage miles/ Making with cigarette butts and used tires.” A haunting track that takes a fast turn as the music slowly dies away leaving just the sound of Case and Lanegan’s voices and then filling up your auditory as the music picks up again. “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” is a song, though long, will be repeated on people’s playlist.
Hell-On marks Case’s first solo album since her 2013’s The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. Before releasing “Curse of the 1-5 Corridor,” she shared album cuts of both “Bad Luck” and, “Hell-On.” Case’s new album will feature not only Lanegan but also vocal appearances from Beth Ditto, k.d. Lang, AC Newman, Eric Bachmann, Kelly Hogan, Doug Gillard, Laura Veirs, Joey Burns, and more.
To support her upcoming new album, Case will kick off her North American tour on May 27th when he plays a set at the Sasquatch Festival in Washington. After that performance, she will have a series of shows that will take Case across America ending on July 10th at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. Ray LaMontagne will join Case on the road through throughout the tour. She will begin another set of North American shows starting on September 5th in Milwaukee.
Listen to Neko Case and Mark Lanegan’s “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” below.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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