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“Damage,” the latest single from Toadies forthcoming studio album The Charmer, is out now alongside a lyric video featuring footage from the band’s recording sessions with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago.

“For ‘Damage,’ I wanted to capture that caged feeling of lockdown—when all we wanted to do was get out, be around people, and have a fun night,” Lewis explains. “I liked the idea of balancing darker lyrics with something upbeat and fun. It kind of reflects that confusion I was feeling at the time. It’s a joy to play live and really gets the crowd moving.”

Guitarist Clark Vogeler adds, “To me it feels expressive but understated. There’s a great energy to the performance we captured on this track, and it’s a blast to play live. It flies by in what feels like seconds.”

The lyric video was edited by Sam Wainwright Douglas, using still photography from the Electrical Audio sessions. “The record sounded monolithic to me, which led us toward a stark black-and-white visual direction,” Vogeler says. “That aesthetic has really become the visual language of The Charmer.”

The images featured in both the album artwork and lyric video were shot by Lewis’ daughter, Ruby Faye Lewis. “She flew in from Brooklyn to document a few days of the session, and we loved what she captured,” Lewis says. “Her photos really reflect the live energy of the band in that room.”

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Toadies share the first single and title track from their forthcoming studio album The Charmer, out May 1 on Spaceflight Records. Recorded with the legendary Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, The Charmer is among the final projects Albini worked on before his passing that have not yet been released. The band will support the album with an extensive nationwide tour through the fall, including select festival appearances such as Louder Than Life Festival (Sunday, September 20). Tickets on sale now. “The Charmer” dates back to Toadies frontman Vaden Lewis’ pandemic-era isolation. Alone at home with his guitars, dogs, and endless movies, Lewis confronted — and ultimately named — the self-loathing he’d wrestled with for decades: The Charmer. “I was afraid that if I lose that part of me that has such self-loathing that I won’t be able to write music anymore,” Lewis explains. “I decided to take that apart and make it a character — The Charmer. If I don’t give that character worth, it’s worthless. But if I do give it worth, I’m worthless.” As the slow-burning title track declares: “It’s only you that keeps me alive… [But] you’d be nothing if it weren’t for me.” The accompanying video was directed and edited by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Toadies guitarist Clark Vogeler, capturing the band’s sessions with Albini at Electrical Audio. “I knew before we went in to record the new album with Steve Albini we’d be playing together live as much as possible,” Vogeler says. “Most records are pieced together layer by layer. We knew he would capture the sound of what was happening in the room, so I took the opportunity to capture images as well.” Using a minimalist setup — a BMPCC 4K, a GoPro, and cameras on tripods moved between takes — Vogeler balanced filming with recording. “The record always came first. We often moved fast, so sometimes I didn’t get the video I wanted.” He didn’t revisit the footage until long after Albini’s passing. “It was a bit of a mindfuck to look at the video again. I’d filmed him quite a bit. He was always welcoming when my cameras were out. It was nice to see him again in his element — tirelessly focused on the work but also relaxed, stimulating, and hilarious.” Albini’s raw, live recording approach was the perfect match for the band’s energy. As Lewis puts it: “No computers were used for tracking or mixing — just old school tape and razor blade.”

‘Why Bass?’ Is hosted by Donivan Blair who does not understand why anyone needs more than four strings and has been obsessed with the bass guitar since 1985. He started the punk band Hagfish with brother Zach in 1991, left their hometown of Sherman, TX and never looked back. Touring the world with Only Crime and Armstrong led him to joining the Toadies in 2008. Donivan knows why he plays the bass but is curious to find out why others have decided to follow this particular yellow brick road.

Toadies make their Spaceflight Records debut with their long-awaited new full-length album, The Charmer, available now to pre-order from Spaceflight Records. PRE-ORDERS WILL SHIP IN LATE APRIL (before the May 1 release date).

Recorded with legendary producer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, The Charmer was born out of the isolation and self-reflection of the 2020 pandemic. When the band finally made it into the studio, they chose to record the old-school way — together in a room, facing each other. Limited edition pressed on 180g coke bottle clear vinyl. Once it sells out, subsequent pressings will be black. Includes pull-out lyric insert. Also available on CD.