Today we are thrilled to bring you the premiere of the new album by Queens, New York-based garage rockers The Fleshtones! The album is called It’s Getting Late (…and More Songs About Werewolves) and features 13 tracks that will get you in the mood for Halloween today and will have you rocking out throughout the whole year. We also caught up with the band to hear the story behind each of the tracks. It’s Getting Late (…and More Songs About Werewolves) will be out everywhere on November 1 via Yep Roc Records. Listen to the album and read the track-by-track breakdown below!
t’s Getting Late (…and More Songs About Werewolves) Track-by-Track Breakdown
1. Pussywillow
Keith Streng: Pussywillow is a person who touches nature and makes the bridge between harsh concrete reality and all the wonders of nature generally ignored in an internet-driven obsessed world that does not care about history, much less natural beauty.
2. Come on Everybody Getting High with You Baby Tonight
Peter Zaremba: A statement of purpose from the band to set the mood for experiencing the album, take it as you will. If the PTA complains, we can just say it’s really about us getting everybody high dancing, moving, and being together tonight which actually is the truth. Another of our songs highly influenced by Jamaican music put through our “Super Rock” garage filter. Something that we’ve been subtly doing since the beginning of our recording career. No, don’t worry, you won’t catch us recording lame versions of reggae like some bands that should have exercised better judgment.
3. Love Me While You Can
Peter Zaremba: Here’s another chestnut brought to our attention by famous author of Filmland, Joe Bonomo. As much as we’ve always loved Johnny Rivers’ style of recording, we couldn’t help toughening this one up, but did we succeed?
4. Way of the World
Ken Fox: Thoughts on survival during stressful times… Some days you just have to let the weight of your worries fall from your shoulders and say, “It’s just the way of the world.”
5. The Consequences
Keith Streng: The Consequences is a band traveling town to town playing all the current hits which are songs I do not dig but are popular with the masses!
6. Empty Sky
Peter Zaremba: I’ve been dying to take a crack at Elton’s debut since I first heard it in 1969 when I thought it sounded a lot like The Stones. So we aimed for something more Beggars Banquet Stones-y. And a bit more garage, especially the lead vocal, because that’s what we like. We did keep the backward lead guitar idea from the original because it’s BOSS.
7. Wah Wah Power
Peter Zaremba: Keith Streng brought this one to the table (literally his kitchen table) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as he often does. We recorded it when we had a few spare minutes on tour at our friends The Limiñanas’ studio in the south of France. And speaking of literal, the song is about a wah-wah as a metaphor for… a wah-wah. Turn it up!
8. That’s Why I’m Turning to You
Peter Zaremba: Another song I had gestating in my head for a long time, slowly honing it down as I mowed the lawn over the years. I figured it was finally time for it to face the world, ready or not. I won’t bother pointing out the obvious influences since if I don’t we might get away with you not figuring them out. It’s more fun when you don’t.
9. You Say You Don't Mind It
Peter Zaremba: What’s a Fleshtones album without a song about werewolves? A tip of our hats to Eddie Angel, Dom Mariani, and of course ourselves: The Fleshtones. A continuation of our struggle to keep it tough, and keep the focus on things that count.
10. Morphine Drip
Peter Zaremba: Based on almost a week I spent in Wayne County Hospital, Honesdale, PA, waiting to have my completely smashed ankle operated on back in the early ‘70s. Some things make a lasting impression on you. Little could I foresee that I’d be back on the I.V. as this album was being mastered.
11. Big As My Balls
Keith Streng: I always wanted to write this song. The Fleshtones are a great band and have a big set!!
12. The Hearse
Peter Zaremba: We had been playing the beautiful Lee Hazlewood instrumental live so figured we’d lay it down when we had a few minutes left over at The Liminañas studio (thank you, Leo and Marie!). Since we were playing it live it’s more sped up than The Astronauts version, as well as us giving it a more “epic” treatment since there’s no need for another copy of the original. This track sets the mood for the album’s wind-up (as things happen to us) better than we could have ever imagined.
13. It's Getting Late
Peter Zaremba: Isn’t it, obviously? But that’s no reason to play it cheap. Instead, we evoke beauty in the final minutes left to us together. Another of the many songs on this record that Keith literally “brought to the table.” Keith had this haunting riff, and I lyrically was already thinking in these terms, but as late as it indeed is, I’m sure we will be back. I am.