Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy (aka William Oldham) have announced a new studio album Superwolves, which will be out digitally April 30 and available physically on June 18 via Drag City. The duo have also debuted a new single and music video for “Hall of Death,” which was recorded alongside Tuareg guitarist and producer Ahmoudou Madassane and his Mdou Moctar bandmates Mike Coltun on electric bass and Souleyman Ibrahim on drums. The visual for “Hall of Death” was directed by Sai Selvarajan and Jeff Bednarz.
“Hall of Death” explored the adventures of two children in ski masks, who go on a dangerous cross country adventure, venturing through an abandoned church and driving a car with a canoe, which they take out to a river. The song blends in Western rockabilly style with Tuareg guitar music, which helps create a sense of adventure and wonder present in this music video.
Superwolves is the duo’s first collaborative record since 2005, but the band have spent much of the last year releasing new material and uncovering old songs that were never released. Last March they unearthed “You’ll Get Eaten Too,” which was followed by the single and music video for “Make Worry for Me.”
“The chemistry comes from lives, lived separately, in which music is crucial sustenance,” Oldham explained in a press release. “We listen with gratitude and awe, knowing that we belong in there. We construct our dream selves with the faith that these selves will have their chance at life. We know what we are capable of doing and just need each other’s support to bring the imagined languages to life.”
Superwolves track list
1. Make Worry For Me
2. Good To My Girls
3. God Is Waiting
4. Hall of Death
5. Shorty’s Ark
6. I Am A Youth Inclined to Ramble
7. My Popsicle
8. Watch What Happens
9. Resist the Urge
10. There Must Be a Someone
11. My Blue Suit
12. My Body is My Own
13. You Can Regret What You Have Done
14. Not Fooling