Out this Friday: The new album by Jonathan Richman

Pop/rock legend JONATHAN RICHMAN will be digitally releasing his 18th studio album ONLY FROZEN SKY ANYWAY on July 4 via Blue Arrow Records (vinyl and CD will be released at a later date TBA).

Longtime drummer/percussionist Tommy Larkins and former Modern Lovers bandmate Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) play keyboards on it. 

Richman says in a press release that many of the songs either existed in a vague, skeletal form or not at all before recording on January 5th of '25 (and finished by January 10th). One theme took shape during that recording session: "How our friends are leaving, in their dying, on an errand, only to return in another role… with another mission. How do I dare say such a thing? Oh...I don't know.”

In addition to this album of all new material, Blue Arrow will be releasing his last three albums Ishkode! Ishkode! (2016), SA! (2018) and Want To Visit My Inner House? (2021) as well as the EPs Cold Pizza & Other Hot Stuff (2022) and Yatasamaroun (2023) to streaming services for the first time ever.

Previously only available via Bandcamp or for purchase at shows, the rollout of these releases finally makes them accessible to a much larger audience. Of these albums, Richman says, “Jerry Harrison, Nicole Montalbano and I produced [Want To Visit My Inner House?] as well as SA! (2018). To us, the two albums are related in the sense that Want to Visit My Inner House? suggests where SA was starting to head.”

In support of Only Frozen Sky Anyway, Richman has announced a Fall tour. Dates are below:

TOUR DATES:

01 Jul Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
02 Jul Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
31 Jul UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley Berkeley, CA
03 Oct Shrine Social Club (Shrine Ballroom) Boise, ID
04 Oct Zootown Arts Community Center Missoula, MT
07 Oct Royal Canadian Legion No.1 Calgary, AB
08 Oct Myer Horowitz Theatre Edmonton, AB
09 Oct Roxy Theatre Saskatoon, SK
11 Oct West End Cultural Centre Winnipeg, MB
15 Oct West Theatre Duluth, MN
16 Oct First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
17 Oct Englert Theatre Iowa City, IA
18 Oct Delmar Hall St. Louis, MO
19 Oct The Whirling Tiger Louisville, KY
21 Oct Manny's State College, PA
23 Oct Lark Hall Albany, NY
24 Oct Somerville Theatre Somerville, MA
25 Oct Somerville Theatre Somerville, MA
26 Oct Somerville Theatre Somerville, MA
28 Oct SPACE Gallery Portland , ME
29 Oct SPACE Gallery Portland , ME
01 Nov Alderney Landing Theatre Dartmouth, NS

Track listing:

I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky
But We Might Try Weird Stuff
Night Fever
You Need Me Too
The Dog Star
Se Va Pa'volver
That Older Girl
Little Black Bat
O Guitar
David & Goliath
The Wavelet
I Am The Sky