Multi-platinum selling Seattle rock band Candlebox – whose power anthems “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me” off their 1993 debut, self-titled album exploded onto the charts – has officially revealed the details for their final studio album, The Long Goodbye, due out Friday, August 25th via Round Hill Records, and released the album’s first single “Punks.” The new track is a cautionary message to young bands that they won’t be the hot new thing forever. Charging forward with a slashing guitar riff and rapid-fire drums, front man and songwriter Kevin Martin howls about quick-burning success and vacuous trends.
PRESS HERE to listen to “Punks” on DSPs and PRESS HERE to watch the official music video. The Long Goodbye, Candlebox’s eighth studio album, is now available to pre-order/pre-save –PRESS HERE. All digital pre-saves will include an instant download of “Punks.”
“Candlebox weren’t the punks that paved the road for all these other bands that came along, but the statement is that music has always been there and nobody’s really doing anything differently,” shares Martin. “You think that you’re invincible and you try to grab all those things that come along with being in a rock band and touring the world. But inevitably, you’re left with yourself, and if you don’t have something within yourself that can keep you grounded, what are you doing it for?”
Celebrating 30 years of success, Candlebox is capping off their long and influential career with The Long Goodbye. The new 10-track collection, produced by Don Miggs, finds the group taking stock of evolving maturity, fleeting time, and lasting love, all while kicking a lot of ass. In addition to the hard-rocking lead single “Punks,” The Long Goodbye includes the sneering statement of independence “What Do You Need,” co-written by Nick Brown of the alt-rock band Mona, who also appears on the track, and the moody, atmospheric “Elegante,” where Kevin dives headlong into creative wordplay as Miggs and the band mimic a synth-pop vibe with guitars and drums. Elsewhere is the acoustic “Maze” and “Cellphone Jesus,” where Kevin allows some of his worldview to seep in as he searches for a sign from above for a damaged society. Full track listing for The Long Goodbye below.
Candlebox – Kevin Martin (lead vocals), Adam Kury (bass), Brian Quinn (guitar),Island Styles (guitar), BJ Kerwin (drums) – is currently on the road on their farewell tour, crossing the country until early fall with fellow rockers 3 Doors Down as direct support on their massive Away From The Sun amphitheater tour in addition to various headlining shows. The Long Goodbye Tour continues tonight (July 14) with a sold-out headlining show at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates. Visit https://www.candleboxrocks.com/tour for all details and to purchase tickets.
Emerging from Seattle’s burgeoning mid-90s grunge scene, Candlebox quickly found mainstream success with their deep, lyrically-driven melodies and big radio hooks, as evidenced by their massive hits “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me” that propelled their self-titled debut album, a defining record of the decade, to sell more than 4 million copies worldwide. Their follow-up album, Lucy, earned a platinum certification and solidified Candlebox as a tour de force in the thriving alt-rock scene. While the commercial success of the first album played a pivotal role in the band’s trajectory to the top, it was their raw and unapologetically honest live performances that ultimately solidified their place among Seattle’s elite. In 1998, Candlebox released Happy Pills, which would be their last album before going on hiatus from 2000 to 2006. In 2008, the band reformed and released their fourth album,Into The Sun, and hit the road for the first time in 10 years, touring extensively and releasingAlive In Seattle, a live album that included tracks from every era of their career. 2016 marked the triumphant return of Candlebox with the release of Disappearing In Airports, a more classic rock-tinged album hailed by many critics and fans as their best work in years. Singles “Vexatious” and “Supernova” drove the album to debut at #9 on the Billboard Charts and spurred multiple U.S. and international tours including major festival appearances at Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, and Lollapalooza Chile. While these iconic rockers have been blazing full-steam since, releasing their album, Wolves, in 2021, and recently issuing a live, acoustic album, Live at The Neptune, Kevin and Candlebox are calling it quits in 2023, but they’re not going quietly.
The Long Goodbye is ultimately a statement record, a document of a band that somehow survived an era that tragically proved too seductive for some of their peers to remain not only successful, but relevant. And after Candlebox wraps it all up at the end of the year, the hits will still live on, along with a legacy that serves to inspire the young punks who come after them.
THE LONG GOODBYE TRACK LISTING
- Punks
- What Do You Need ft. Mona
- Elegante
- I Should Be Happy
- Nails On A Chalkboard
- Ugly
- Maze
- Cellphone Jesus
- Foxy
- Hourglass
CANDLEBOX TOUR DATES
Friday, July 14 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour ^
Saturday, July 15 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Pacific Amphitheatre +
Sunday, July 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Resort Casino +
Tuesday, July 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre +
Thursday, July 20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre +
Friday, July 21 – Fort Hall, ID @ Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel +
Sunday, July 23 – Great Falls, MT @ Voyagers Stadium +
Tuesday, July 25 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium +
Thursday, July 27 – Spokane, WA @ BECU Live at Northern Quest +
Friday, July 28 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater +
Wednesday, August 2 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom ^
Thursday, August 3 – Ashland, KY @ Paramount Arts Center ^
Friday, August 4 – Corbin, KY @ The Corbin Arena +
Saturday, August 5 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Tuscaloosa Amphitheater +
Sunday, August 6 – Roanoke, VA @ Dr. Pepper Park at the Bridgers ^
Wednesday, August 9 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP +
Friday, August 11 – Southaven, MS @ BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove +
Saturday, August 12 – Sedalia, MO @ Missouri State Fairgrounds Grandstand +
Sunday, August 13 – St. Louis, MO @ Del Mar Hall ^
Wednesday, August 16 – Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater +
Friday, August 18 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater +
Saturday, August 19 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park +
Wednesday, August 23 – New Orleans, LA @ Champions Square +
Friday, August 25 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater +
Saturday, August 26 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater +
Tuesday, August 29 – Richmond, VA @ The National ^
Wednesday, August 30 – Simpsonville, SC @ CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park +
Friday, September 1 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium +
Saturday, September 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre +
Wednesday, September 6 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre +
Thursday, September 7 – Tulsa, OK @ River Spirit Casino Resort ^
Friday, September 8 – Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena +
Saturday, September 9 – Brandon, MS @ Brandon Amphitheater +
Wednesday, September 13 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place Amphitheater +
Friday, September 15 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre +
Saturday, September 16 – Boca Raton, FL @ Mizner Park Amphitheater +
Wednesday, September 20 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater +
Friday, September 22 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory +
Saturday, September 23 – Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land +
Saturday, October 14 – Santiago, Chile @ Milenia 2023 *
Saturday, October 21 – Cherokee, NC @ Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort +
^ indicates headlining show
+ indicates dates with 3 Doors Down
* indicates festival date
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