Sturgill Simpson Screws With All of Our Heads by Posting Image of Angel / Devil Skeletons
Sturgill Simpson has never been one to make it easy on us to plot his next move. On the contrary, he appears to love keeping folks on their toes, and communicating to the masses in sometimes cryptic messages and imagery. Such was the case Tuesday afternoon (3-1) when the Kentucky singer and songwriter posted an image of red and while skeletons sparring on his social network properties, including using the image as his new avatar. Is the white skeleton charging the red one a symbol of good defeating evil? Why is the devil skeleton missing its lower jawbone? Is the background black, or more of a dark matte gray? And somewhere Sturgill and his pit crew are laughing at all of our asses for wondering.
We can surmise from the perfectly square aspect of said image that there’s a good chance it’s an album cover, but there’s no confirmation of such. After all, that’s what musicians do, they release albums and stuff, and generally want to get the pot nice and stirred before they do so. The timing would just about coincide with the intelligence Saving Country Music stumbled upon in January that Sturgill is likely to release a new album in June or so, or at least sometime this summer to coincide with performances in Europe and other places. Generally speaking, about two or three months out is a good time to start dropping hints and getting folks talking about your next project.
Sturgill told GQ in January, “What’s next is already finished. I don’t want to put it out just yet, because I know I’m just going to have to turn around and do what I just did all over again. Quite honestly, I need about six months at home with my family. And hopefully, instead of being out on the road, I’ll be doing what’s-next-what’s-next, you know? For me it’s all about being in the moment and having freedom.”
Six months from then would roughly be June. Also the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, where Sturgill is scheduled to perform in late June, early July says Sturgill’s new album “will land in the summer of 2016.”
But who knows, maybe it’s new tour artwork, or just a groovy new t-shirt design. We’ll just have to see.
Meanwhile Sturgill Simpson fans have already been delivered some new music. His song “Sugar Daddy” was selected as the theme song for HBO’s new series Vinyl. No official word on if “Sugar Daddy” will be a part of Sturgill’s new album or not.
March 1, 2016 @ 5:12 pm
I hope Sturgill sticks with country for this album. I wouldn’t be opposed to a roots rock/country album though. As long as he doesn’t go the EDM route that he mentioned before, it’ll all be good, because it’s Sturgill Simpson.
March 1, 2016 @ 5:17 pm
I’m not even worried about the next album because I’m sure it will be good, and that is regardless of whether it is a country album or otherwise. As much energy as he puts into his shows, the man deserves a break.
March 1, 2016 @ 5:24 pm
I hope album #3 is done in the same vein as his first two. I’m sure the Vinyl opportunity was one that couldn’t be passed up from Sturgill’s point but I’ll take High Top Mountain and Metamodern over that without any hesitation..
And as much as I love Metamodern, if I had to choose between that album and High Top Mountain, it’s High Top eight days a week (which I know might seem crazy). I feel that High Top, along with Shooter’s Put the O Back in Country and The Wolf are 3 of the best albums to bring back the old 70s “outlaw” sound that I (& i’m sure others here) selfishly long for.
While I love Shooter also, I’d gladly do without the psychedelic/hard rock stuff for another “4th of July” hit. Call me paranoid, but I have a weird feeling that Sturgill is primed to follow suit with harder/psychedilc stuff. I hope my gut is dead wrong, but I just have a weird hunch that Sturgill is going to be branching out in the same manner as Shooter soon.
March 1, 2016 @ 9:40 pm
While Sturgill may very well branch out into some weirder music, I feel like he would be able to make it work more than Shooter has, and I say that as someone that as a (casual) Shooter fan.
March 1, 2016 @ 5:37 pm
in sturgill and dave we trust
March 1, 2016 @ 5:47 pm
Thats my concern with Sturgill as well. I doubt he’ll ever completely abandon country, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
March 1, 2016 @ 6:22 pm
Sturgill has done some great stuff, but something about him just wears me out. There, I said it.
March 1, 2016 @ 7:07 pm
I wonder about the jawbone as well. A symbol of censorship? And why is the “good” skeleton attacking the devil skeleton, who appears to be peacefully minding his own business? Hmmmm…
March 2, 2016 @ 2:43 am
Maybe the red skeleton is pop country being vanquished once and for all.
March 2, 2016 @ 5:26 am
They don’t look like they are sparring to me. It needs a better caption, like . . .
White: Check out my wicked Jimi Hendrix spear moves!
Red: I jam with Jimi Hendrix. I know Jimi Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix is a friend of mine. Skeleton, you’re no Jimi.
(Some post-Super Tuesday political humor for the old folks.)
March 2, 2016 @ 6:06 am
This guy is gonna go down the shitter I’m calling it now.
March 2, 2016 @ 11:43 am
Every time you don’t believe in Sturgill, a reptile alien made of light dies.
March 2, 2016 @ 6:32 am
u no why luke brian dont never post no doodles he drew on a napkin on his twiter? hes bizy in tge studio maken a another hit thats why.
and wut in sam hell is with all the bernie sanders radio ads I here on my local cuntry station.? this is a outrage. get that dumb ole commie of my radio. just a nother example of infiltration by the left in to cuntry music and I do not like that. aint herd evan wun trump add.
March 2, 2016 @ 9:55 am
What……the fuck.
November 18, 2016 @ 10:19 am
Ummmm……..yeaahhh….
March 2, 2016 @ 8:00 am
Rolling Stone reported on the “delay” back in January and had this bit o’ info… “It was the same approach that guided Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, recorded in four days at Cobb’s Nashville studio. “Sturgill would show up with a song idea and we’d make it into something all together,” Cobb told Rolling Stone Country about the process back in 2014, admitting they’d already started working on the next record. “We’re already doing something totally different and it will probably make a lot of people mad.
If you visit his website it is under construction and simply displays the devil\angel skeletons and does nothing else. No store, no tour, no news… just mystery. Freakin’ brilliant!
March 2, 2016 @ 9:41 am
The devil skeleton has three points on his pitchfork, the white skeleton has one. He posted this on 3/1.
This is a pretty cryptic image and it could be an album cover, but it could also just be a funky ode to March.
Whatever it is, its rad, fuck the first of the month, and Sturgill’s next album is gonna wail.
March 2, 2016 @ 10:23 am
Let me get out my secret decoder ring… this has something to do with Donald Trump. But who is the white skeleton?
March 2, 2016 @ 11:14 am
If this is the new album cover I am loving it. An iconic image! Sturgills name is nowhere to be seen – which I like, it prioritises the art over the sales pitch. This would be the type of album cover which (if you own the vinyl) you would place as first album of your collection so that it catches the eye of whoever is entering.
March 2, 2016 @ 11:31 am
I trust Sturgill. How many of us would have supported Stevie Ray Vaughn if he said I think I’ll do Mary Had A Little Lamb? What ever Sturgill puts out it will be his heart and soul poured out.
March 3, 2016 @ 12:32 am
I heard the Dap Kings played on a few songs on the new album.
March 3, 2016 @ 12:54 pm
“It ain’t all roses, sometimes your gotta feel the thorns. When you play with the devil, know you gunna get the horns”
March 3, 2016 @ 3:51 pm
Just smoke this and then look at those skeletons!
March 5, 2016 @ 6:30 pm
The artwork is very close to the cover art of Lonesome Wyatt’s Sabella album. I wonder if he’s a fan.
November 18, 2016 @ 10:24 am
Well, when this album goes down the shitter like the last one (maybe a rap album? XD) at least we will still have Chris knight and whitey.
January 10, 2017 @ 1:47 am
It’s an homage to Beck’s concert t-shirt during the Mellow Gold era