London-based independent powerhouse punk/rock label Xtra Mile Recordings and English folk-punks Skinny Lister are excited to announce the Friday, October 20 release of the band’s sixth studio LP titled ‘Shanty Punk,’ a glorious, riotous mix of chest-thumping anthems, shanty sing-a-longs and folk/punk classics that demand to be played live. Written and recorded by Skinny Lister, mixed by Patrick Phillips and Daniel Heptinstall, and mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright, ‘Shanty Punk’ is a concept album that is a pure distillation of what makes the long-standing band tick, and perhaps a collection of songs that leans further into the band’s folk roots more than they’ve ventured in some years.
A song built for the rugged road, ‘Shanty Punk’’s new single, ‘Company Of The Bar,’ fuses three themes that have loomed large throughout Skinny Lister’s output: drinking, traveling and the sea. It combines these into one driving, no-nonsense celebration of the virtues of hanging out down the pub with mates and loved ones. It’s a simple sentiment but one that is at the heart of the Skinny Lister philosophy.
Aptly capturing the energy of the Skinnies’ emphatic live show, the new single arrives as the band also announces a North American tour for October and November. Having just completed a headline tour in the UK and an extensive support tour across the US with Flogging Molly, Skinny Lister will be heading to the east coast and Canada for a run with label mates PET NEEDS and Bandaid Brigade that will begin on October 19 at Milkboy in Philadelphia, PA and culminate in an appearance on Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise from November 8-13.
In true Skinny Lister style, the band’s forthcoming album, ‘Shanty Punk,’ is a record full of drunken tales that beg to be told – like that time frontman Daniel Heptinstall got in above his head in an arm-wrestling competition in Dresden (‘Arm Wrestling In Dresden’) and the pickle the band found themselves in after hiring the wrong driver for a US Tour (‘Pittsburgh Punch Up’). Elsewhere, the LP features ‘Down On The Barrier,’ an arena-sized ripper that finds Skinny Lister worshiping at the immortal altar of live music via pogo-primed percussion, Pogues-y punk hooks, and a chorus that demands to be roared-out loud and proud.
There’s of course also room for the obligatory poignant moment or two as well, such as the Lorna Heptinstall-led ‘Mantra’ and album closer ‘Broken, Bruised & Battered.’ Even Party George – Lorna & Max’s dad, who’s become a cult legend amongst Skinny fans – makes an appearance, singing his self-penned ‘William Harker.’ It’s yet another tale that unashamedly takes its inspiration from the English public house, and a song that George has often been found singing up on stage with the band over the years. There’s also a down the line vocal and stomp, shanty-style track in the form of ’13 Miles.’
The follow-up to 2021’s ‘A Matter of Life & Love,’ a freewheeling record that pays homage to all the greatest things in life, ‘Shanty Punk’ aims to touch base and celebrate the essence of the band a whole – who they are now and where they’ve been – while at the same time giving it a fresh and dynamic feel. This throughline is even illustrated right down to the album artwork, which draws on the imagery most have associated with the band over the years; flagons, red shoes, boots and land rovers are all present and correct. If there’s one album Skinny Lister has made that deserves the title ‘Shanty Punk,’ this is certainly it.
‘Shanty Punk’ Tracklisting:
1. Haul & Bale
2. Unto The Breach
3. Company Of The Bar
4. Mantra
5. 13 Miles
6. Down On The Barrier
7. Arm Wrestling In Dresden
8. Pittsburgh Punch Up
9. Forge On George
10. William Harker
11. Broken, Bruised & Battered
TOUR DATES:
* with Pet Needs and Bandaid Brigade
October 19th — Milkboy — Philadelphia, PA
October 20th — Meadows — Brooklyn, NY
October 21st — Middle East — Boston, MA
October 22nd — Foufounes — Montreal, Quebec
October 24th — Lee’s Place — Toronto, Ontario
October 25th — Loving Touch — Detroit, MI
October 26th — Pyramid Scheme — Grand Rapids, MI
October 27th — Xray Arcade — Milwaukee, WI
October 28th — Beat Kitchen — Chicago, IL
October 30th — Grog Shop — Cleveland, OH
October 31st — Thunderbird — Pittsburgh, PA
November 02nd — Jammin Java — Washington, DC (without Pet Needs and Bandaid Brigade)
November 03rd — Richmond Music Hall — Richmond, VA
November 04th — Music Farm — Charleston, SC
November 05th — Masquerade Hell — Atlanta, GA
November 06th — Conduit — Orlando, FL
08th — 13th — Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise — Miami, FL