Photo by Matt Cooper

Toadies are set to return with their seventh studio album, The Lower Side of Uptown, on September 8th via Kirtland Records. The alternative stalwarts’ fifth effort since reuniting in 2006, this latest record finds the band harkening back to their 1994 debut, Rubberneck — even if that wasn’t their initial intention.

“I feel that subconsciously we thought that this record would have ended up incorporating some of that quieter sound, but that didn’t happen,” guitarist Clark Vogeler said in a statement. “When we got to the studio with nothing more than a pile of riffs, what came out of the band was really loud and heavy music. So not only is this album louder than [2015’s] Heretics, I think it’s louder and heavier than the last couple Toadies albums.”

That case is made clear on the album’s lead single, “Broke Down Stupid”. The riffs are dizzying in their slog, like a drunk tethered to a stake, dragging himself through circles in the mud. It would almost be amusing if it weren’t so dismal looking, which goes just as well for the track. There are moments of what sound like redemption before guitar slides drop everything back into self-flagellation. “And i hang my head out the window/ Watch the pavement spinning past my face,” sings an angry and dejected Vaden Todd Lewis. “I wonder if I woke up on your pillow/ Would my head my head feel this way?”

“‘Broke Down Stupid’ is a song that could’ve appeared on Rubberneck,” drummer Mark Reznicek tells Consequence of Sound. “But it was so goddamn ahead of its time, it took until 2017 to really make sense.” Take a listen to the killer track below.

Toadies will celebrate the release of The Lower Side of Uptown with their 10th annual Dia De Los Toadies festival on September 16th at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas. Their tourmates Local H will be with them for the event, and you can find their complete itinerary below.

Toadies 2017 Tour Dates:

09/06 – Denton, TX @ Rockin Rodeo

09/07 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom

09/08 – Kansas City, MO @ KRBZ Beach Ball

09/09 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar

09/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s

09/12 – Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse

09/13 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In

09/14 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy

09/16 – Possum Kingdom Lake, TX @ Possum Hollow (Dia De Los Toadies)

09/19 – El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls

09/20 – Tucson, AZ @ Congress

09/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar

09/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent

09/23 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up

09/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

09/26 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues

09/27 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater

09/29 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

09/30 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater

10/01 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory

10/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall

10/04 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theatre

10/05 – Denver, CO @ Gothic

10/06 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room

10/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall

10/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ 1st Ave.

10/10 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

10/11 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury

10/12 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue

10/13 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews

10/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

10/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex

10/17 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat

10/18 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater

10/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA

10/20 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

10/21 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony

10/22 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva

10/24 – Durham, NC @ Motorco

10/25 – Wilmington, NC @ The Muse

10/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Hell

10/27 – Orlando, FL @ Plaza Live

10/28 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

10/29 – Tampa, FL @ Ritz

10/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas

11/04 – Carrolton, TX @ Carrollton Festival at the Switchyard

11/10 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs BBQ