After over a decade of touring, Roselit Bone have perfected an infectious and intense live show that has transfixed crowds in a nightly conversion ritual. Previously described by Oregon Public Broadcasting as “a unique type of gothic country rock that borrows heavily from Mexican ranchera music, rockabilly and the same lonely and wide-open spaces that inspired the classic Spaghetti Western scores of composer Ennio Morricone,” the Portland 8-piece – led by frontwoman Charlotte McCaslin – have deepened, shapeshifted, and outdone themselves on their fourth full-length record, Ofrenda (due out August 25th on Get Loud Recordings- PRE-ORDER).
While at times confrontational, showcasing the band’s unambiguous worship of early punk bands like Suicide and The Gun Club, there is a new level of subtlety and complexity on Ofrenda. Regardless of where the needle drops on Ofrenda, listeners will be transported into a time of great tumult and transition in its players minds. Offering an explicit but tender look at Charlotte’s inner life, Ofrenda encapsulates the cycles of loss, survival and rebirth of the years between albums, which included a divorce, several family deaths, her gender transition, and the beginning of a new relationship – all set against the cataclysmic backdrop of the pandemic, a summer of police violence against her home city, and massive wildfires that blacked out the sun. These songs are still as visceral and heartbreaking as anything the band has done, but there is a new glimmer of hope on Ofrenda, the band’s first recordings since Charlotte’s gender transition. She reflects, “I feel strange when I listen to our previous album, Crisis Actor. The band played well, but the voice does not sound like mine and the person singing was totally lost, hiding behind characters on most songs. The album title is a hint that I knew this at the time. I’m glad it exists as a document of the turmoil before my transition, but Ofrenda feels more real to me. The band is tighter, my voice is my own, the arrangements are prettier. Where the lyrics are especially bleak, I tried to create a soft place in the music for the heart to rest.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for album opener “Your Gun,” begins quietly with guitarist Victor Franco’s tense, muted power chords as Charlotte seethes “I can’t stop crying long enough to fuck // and there’s a bullet missing from your gun.” Building suspense right out of the gate with Charlotte’s haunting vocals cutting like a knife, the band comes out swinging with a thunderous romp that is part psychobilly, part swaggering punk, and part slinky rock and roller. With the fiery barrage of saxophone, ripping guitars, a steady tambourine and stomping drum beat, and the unlikely yet strangely perfect addition of violin, the song is a clear signal that Roselit Bone is back and ready to kick ass. Though Charlotte often gravitates towards darker lyrical fare, the video captures the lively energy that has always made the band’s stage act so compelling.
Charlotte McCaslin describes the inspiration behind the tune:
The lyrics to “Your Gun” are difficult and more true-to-life than I care to admit. It is partly about the despair I would feel returning home after any time spent on tour, knowing life would always be worse than when I left. Being on the road with this band has always been physically and emotionally grueling, but it was until recently my only form of escape. After the shows there was always some nightmare to wake up to or crime scene to clean up, and I’m not quite sure how, or to what extent, I survived.
Watch the video and check out tour dates below…
08.24 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
09.03 – Reno, NV @ Loving Cup
09.04 – Nevada City, CA @ Stardust Station
09.05 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
09.06 – Chico, CA @ Duffy’s
09.07 – Albany, CA @ Ivy Room
09.09 – San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar
09.10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
09.11 – Yucca Valley, CA @ The Annex
09.13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge
09.14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
09.15 – Las Cruces, NM @ The Lighthouse
09.16 – San Antonio, TX @ Lonesome Rose
09.17 – Austin, TX @ Sagebrush
09.18 – Houston, TX @ 1810 Ojeman
09.19 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
09.21 – Atlanta, GA @ Star Bar
09.22 – Nashville, TN @ Springwater Supper Club
09.23 – Asheville, NC @ Fleetwoods
09.24 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
09.26 – New York City, NY @ TV Eye
09.28 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
09.29 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House
09.30 – Chicago, IL @ Cole’s Bar
10.01 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10.02 – Dubuque, IA @ The Lift
10.03 – Omaha, NE @ The Sydney
10.04 – Wichita, KS @ Kirby’s Beer Store
10.05 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
10.07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Quarters
