The Menzingers 'Hello Exile' Out Now
Hello Exile, the sixth studio album by Philadelphia-based band The Menzingers, is out today via Epitaph Records.
Hello Exile, produced by Will Yip (Mannequin Pussy, Quicksand), was recorded over the course six weeks at Yip’s Conshohocken, PA-based Studio 4. The record sees The Menzingers take their lyrical narrative to a whole new level and share their reflections on moments from the past and present: high-school hellraising, troubled relationships, aging and alcohol and political ennui. With the band achieving that soul-baring intimacy all throughout the album, Hello Exile emerges as The Menzingers’ most emotionally daring work to date.
“We’ve always been in love with good songwriting and the beauty of taking a song to its fullest potential, but with this album I feel like we’re really becoming the band we’ve always wanted to be,” says singer/guitarists Greg Barnett. Not only a creative turning point for The Menzingers, that uncompromising honesty helps fulfill their mission of leaving each listener with a potent sense of solidarity. “A lot of these songs are looking at different life challenges—they’re stories of people at some sort of crossroads,” Barnett explains. “We might not have the answers for anybody, but hopefully the songs will help them to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know that they’re not alone in whatever tough decisions they’re facing.”
Early Acclaim for Hello Exile
“Hello Exile, The Menzingers’ greatest statement on adulthood to date, ends with a reflection on how far they’ve come since their scrappy Scranton beginnings.” – Fader
“Musically, the album is the band’s most mature and diverse release yet, and lyrically, it’s filled with some of their most personal and emotional songs they’ve ever written. Combine the two, and Hello Exile is absolutely in the running to become The Menzingers’ best album yet.” - The Prelude Press
“Hello Exile is the Menzingers' most thematically heavy and emotionally weightiest album, as well as their boldest and most self-assured.” - Pop Matters
“The Menzingers paint universal pictures that we can all relate to, and they do it without the fluff.” - Spinning Thoughts
In Case You Missed It -
In anticipation of Hello Exile, Barnett looked back at the bands previous catalog with writer Dan Ozzi for his interview series “Rank Your Records”.
On Wednesday, The Menzingers preformed an acoustic session live at Paste studios – check it out here.
Hello Exile Track Listing
1. America (You’re Freaking Me Out)
2. Anna
3. High School Friend
4. Last to Know
5. Strangers Forever
6. Hello Exile
7. Portland
8. Strain Your Memory
9. I Can’t Stop Drinking
10. Strawberry Mansion
11. London Drugs
12. Farewell Youth
The band will hit the road beginning later this month with support from Tigers Jaw and Culture Abuse. Tickets are on sale now. For more information visit, https://themenzingers.com/tour.
TOUR DATES
10/25 Columbus, OH Athaneum
10/26 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
10/27 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
10/29 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
10/30 Madison, WI Majestic Theater
10/31 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
11/1 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
11/2 Omaha, NE Slowdown
11/3 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
11/5 Seattle, WA El Corazon
11/6 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
11/8 San Francisco, CA Slim's
11/9 San Francisco, CA Slim's
11/10 Los Angeles, CA The Regent
11/12 Pomona, CA The Glasshouse
11/13 Phoenix, AZ Club Red
11/15 Dallas, TX Trees
11/16 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
11/17 Austin, TX Mohawk
11/19 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
11/20 Charlotte, NC The Underground
11/22 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
11/23 Orlando, FL The Beacham
11/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
11/26 Nashville, TN Basement East
11/29 Philadelphia, PA Franklin Music Hall
11/30 Pittsburgh, PA Roxian Theater
12/1 Toronto, ON Phoenix
12/3 Richmond, VA Broadberry
12/4 Washington, DC The Black Cat
12/5 New York, NY Warsaw
12/6 New York, NY Warsaw - SOLD OUT
12/7 Boston, MA House of Blues
**All dates w/ Tigers Jaw & Culture Abuse
The Menzingers is singer/guitarists Greg Barnett and Tom May, bassist Eric Keen, and drummer Joe Godino.