DINOSAUR JR. UNVEIL THEIR 13TH ALBUM, THERE NEAR
Credit Jeff Fowler
Dinosaur Jr. unveil their thirteenth studio album, There Near, out now via Jagjaguwar, and share new video for album highlight, 'Everything At Once'.
As with the video for the “hard-charging, punk-leaning anthem” (FLOOD) 'Several Got Away', the video for 'Everything At Once' was directed, shot & edited by Guy Kozak and features members of the Knights Hall. Kozak comments, “The uncanny image of the historical in a contemporary world can be a lonely one, and I felt it suited the song well. I'd been noticing the rise of armored combat as a sport over the last few years, and started imagining a knight being knocked around and trying to keep his life together at the same time, walking his dog, mowing his lawn etc... I filmed with Dustin Brooks who's an accomplished competitor and part of a group called the Knights Hall, who put on the match in the video and kindly let me shoot it. It was a super hot July weekend and the sport is pretty brutal. I don't know how they do it. Armour looks so good on camera, it was hard to stop rolling.”
There Near marks the sixth studio album Dinosaur Jr. have recorded in the 20 years since their triumphal rebirth. There have been several live and/or closet cleaning collections to keep punters sated for the five years since Sweep It Into Space, but there is nothing quite like having a full slab of new Dino tunes to fry your ears. And There Near has all knobs set to Extra Crispy.
Created in short, intense bursts over the course of a year at Amherst's Bisquiteen Studio, There Near was recorded almost entirely by Dino's core trio—king of the thunder tubs, Murph, human tornado Lou on bass/vocals and the inimitable J Mascis on guitar/vocals— with a bit of piano and organ work by local master musician, Ken Mauri. And the album roars from start to finish.
J's guitar tone throughout There Near is even more animalistic than usual, perhaps owing partly to the fact he's playing through a recently acquired 70's Mesa Boogie MK 1 amp. “I bought the same amp that Chris Dixon had when we made our first album,” J says. “Chris recorded us at his house with his amp. It has a real interesting sound I haven't gotten for a while. And it's something I was trying to get back to on this album. The Stones started using Mesa Boogies in the '70s after they heard Santana playing through them. Then The Clash copied The Stones, etc. As the years went on into the MK 2 and so on, the Boogie got more metal sounding. But the MK 1 has a souped-up Fender sound. You always hear how Rick Rubin always makes bands he's producing sit down and listen to their first album and say let's get back to that sound. So I just gave myself his advice."
There Near continues Dinosaur Jr.'s string of classic albums. The new songs are sure to sound amazing with their monstrous riffs blaring from live stages amidst their historical brethren. Can't wait to catch them live, but in the meantime, There Near will be a constant companion. The nearer the better.
Dinosaur Jr. tour North America in October and November, and in February of 2027, they will pick back up for further touring, making stops in cities not yet visited. Australian dates are also expected to follow.
