I knew a beggar who said she heard a higher calling. She bought a jet plane even though the sky was falling. Who will you believe? Who will you believe? His eyes are clearer truer bluer than the ocean. But what's behind them? You don't have a foggy notion. Who will you believe? Who will you believe? I fell in love. I fell in love. I fell in love with a possible world. I fell in love. I fell in love. I fell in love with a possible world. Then I smashed my heart against the stones. So don't cash out 'cause a rumor says it's over. Look here. I stagger but I swear to god I'm sober. Who will you believe? Who will you believe? I fell in love. I fell in love. I fell in love with a possible world. I fell in love. I fell in love. I fell in love with a possible world. Who will you believe? Who will you believe? Who will you believe? Who will you believe?
Joe Pernice Bony Gap Music (BMI), admin by BUG/BMG
Friends,
This is a special occasion bonus substack post. I am really pleased to let you all know that Pernice Brothers new album will be announced tomorrow at 9am EST with the title track single Who Will You Believe going live on your favorite streaming service. (I feel the same about all the streaming services. It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite. Take that how you will.)
Did I mention there’s more?: The pre-order for vinyl, CDs and the cassette (yes, you read that right) are also set to launch tomorrow. During a recent meeting with the kind people at New West Records and Joyce and me, I tried and tried for a super limited number of eight track tapes. Joyce chimed in, “How’s this for a super limited number? Zero. Zero eight track cassettes. Next bullet point, please.” There will be no eight track tape…for now,
But in all seriousness, you all have been very supportive of all things Pernice and Ashmont Records for so long. New West Records was super cool when we asked them if you all could have first crack at hearing the lead single and pre-ordering the record ahead of time. There are a couple limited edition thing-a-ma-jigs, so an early heads-up might come in handy.
There are a couple different options, and I’m doing my best to keep them straight. I find looking at screen extremely confusing. Sorry for the incoming caps. Just want to be clear: THERE WILL BE A LINK AFTER THE OPTIONS BELOW. THE LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO WHERE YOU MAY PREORDER ANY/All OF THE FOLLOWING:
Via Bandcamp - There you may pre-order your favorite format (digital; autographed CD, LP in black vinyl or autographed clear vinyl; limited to 300 edition Bandcamp-only cassette), AND you’ll receive a download of the album version of the single Who Will You Believe. You will also receive a download for an additional album track, December in Her Eyes. (It’s a little disco/soul number I wrote as an homage to my late sister’s 7” single collection.) You'll get to listen to that song on endless rotation before anyone else as it won't be available for streaming until the album is released on April 5, 2024.
Via Rough Trade- There’s a Rough Trade only edition of the album on very sweet turquoise blue vinyl (limited to 300). It’s autographed and comes with a 7” flexi disc of the demo for an album track called What We Had.
NewWestRecords.com and Local Retailers- There you may order the non-exclusive stuff. But what the hell, it’s still pretty cool.
This link will take you to where you may preorder any and all of the aforementioned options. And for some ungodly reason the link doesn’t work, you may copy and paste this: http://newwst.com/wwyb
So, this is all pretty exciting stuff for me. I think the songs on the album are some of the best I’ve written. That’s a decent feeling to have well into decade three of a career. And like they did with the 25th anniversary vinyl release of Overcome By Happiness, New West Records did a great job with getting this album together and looking/sounding great for release. I couldn’t be more pleased.
As for the song Who Will You Believe, I wrote it at my kitchen table sometime in 2021. We were locked down three times here in Toronto, so there’s a couple year stretch that is a bit of a blur. (I’m sure you can relate.) If I look back on my old phone I could probably pinpoint the exact date I wrote the song. (The voice message feature of the iPhone is a godsend to the technophobic & lazy songwriter in me.)
Since none of you have heard the studio version of Who Will You Believe yet, I’m going to deviate from my usual substack format and revisit the song in a later post. I’ll talk about the recording. Maybe those details will be more interesting. But for now I will say that the guitar playing on the studio version is hooky as hell. My friend & Canadian hot-shot guitarist Michael McKenzie did the honors. The track also reunites me with my great friend and early Pernice Brothers drummer Mike Belitsky, as well as my wife Laura Stein.
As for the demo track included it here, it’s one of the first versions that actually includes all of the lyrics. I often sing “la la la” on my demos until I am ready to commit to the lyrics.
I recorded this at the same kitchen table where I wrote it. It contains one of maybe 10 or 12 guitar lead lines I’ve written in my life. Some things are best left to the professionals.
I tried to EQ out the electric hum of my refrigerator. My chair is right near a heat vent. You can hear the furnace fan blowing. It’s cold here in Toronto.
I hope you enjoy the new songs and ultimately the album. As always, thanks for listening.
Take care of yourselves and those around you.
JP
Who Will You Believe