The Dead Licks - Photo credit: John Kosiewicz

Today, May 20, 2022, Chicago-based classic rock band, The Dead Licks, released their new album, In Disguise. Front Row Music News is excited to finally to hear many of these songs studio released. We first met The Dead Licks in June 2020 during the pandemic. Times were very different then with much of the live music entertainment locked down. However, Front Row Music News was a part of a small skeleton crew streaming Chicago’s south side music scene for a non profit organization from a church . We can’t believe it’s been two years since we first heard many of the songs on this album during the Get Local Beverly – Get Local Sessions Ep 05 live stream. Songs like Preecher, Kids at the Park, What Happened (acoustic version), The Moors and Limbo are now studio versions.

With early access to the album, Front Row Music News has been listening to this album for about a month now. The whole album is fantastic. However, I think that “My Wish” (released 3/23/2021) is still closest to my heart. Once again, thanks to Get Local Beverly, I was able to first hear a live acoustic version this song during the 2020 Get Local Session Finale live stream (9 minutes into the stream from 10/29/202). Next, “Tower (Chicago)” can’t help but hit the heartstrings of Chicago area residents. The slow build of “The Moore” into a true anthem is also a favorite. Other favorites include: Clever Fool, Fly Under the Sun and Preecher. In the end, The Dead Licks have spent a lot of time and energy putting this album together and it shows.

Be sure to catch The Dead Licks performing songs from In Disguise this summer.

The Dead Licks Album ‘In Disguise’

For any of us, moving on from college means growing up. Moving from your Dayton, Ohio, campus to the tough environment of a city, say. Actually putting that finance degree to use. And for Chicago four-piece The Dead Licks, it also meant growing up musically — both in terms of their compositions, and as performers. Sonically, The Dead Licks’s more grown-up sound is most apparent in terms of one thing: time. Their new album is an unhurried affair, with roomy, often breezy songs that stretch their legs — with many of them clocking in around the five-minute mark, they’re not quite jams. But they evoke a similar spirit, taking pleasure in playing with and lingering over new sounds.

This is apparent on the Dead Licks’ new album In Disguise, which they share today. Glide premiered the album, and described how the Chicago four-piece “brings together the spacious and tenacious urban indie rock of The Strokes and Interpol mixed with the hummable hard hooks of The Cult.” 

On the album, the band shares: “We were planning on going on a Spring weekend tour until the Covid lockdown hit the Winter of 2020.  This album was a collection of songs written and recorded during the pandemic.  It was recorded at various studios around the city of Chicago, as well as the band’s apartment.  We’re excited to release the album and start working on the next, as we’ve sat with this one for awhile.  We plan to play live shows and spread our music as much as possible in the years to come.”

Packed with stadium rock anthems, gritty guitar solos, and some more understated indie rock slow-burners, In Disguise showcases The Dead Licks’ expansive repertoire and rock n roll sensibilities – a must-listen for fans of The Strokes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or even early Coldplay. The final product is a thoughtful, layered album filled with mature grooves and a perfect reintroduction to a more adult iteration of the band. With it, a new Dead Licks are here, and they’re all grown up.

THE DEAD LICKS – IN DISGUISE Tracklisting

01. Cadiz
02. Preecher
03. Kids at the Park
04. My Wish
05. Fly Under the Sun
06. With a Bottle of Whatever You’re Having
07. Clever Fool
08. The Moors
09. What Happened
10. American Diners
11. Limbo
12. Towers (Chicago)
13. Right All Along

The Dead Licks Bio

For any of us, moving on from college means growing up. Moving from your Dayton, Ohio, campus to the tough environment of a city, say. Actually putting that finance degree to use. And for Chicago four-piece The Dead Licks, it also meant growing up musically — both in terms of their compositions, and as performers. Sonically, The Dead Licks’s more grown-up sound is most apparent in terms of one thing: time. Their new album is an unhurried affair, with roomy, often breezy songs that stretch their legs — with many of them clocking in around the five-minute mark, they’re not quite jams. But they evoke a similar spirit, taking pleasure in playing with and lingering over new sounds

Time is apparent, too, in the new album’s lyrical content, such as on “My Wish,” a brooding, slightly stoned-sounding track reminiscent of 90s stalwarts Soundgarden. “My Wish” also features another element that’s newer to the band’s sound — a drum machine. Separated from drummer Gallagher by social distancing protocols (the rest of the bandmates are also housemates), Grbac, Inzinga and McNamara drafted songs using a drum machine before passing the compositions on to Jimmy, who says, “I love electronic music, anyway, so I was down. Plus, it gave me a different view of the writing process.” The final product is a thoughtful, layered album filled with mature grooves and a perfect reintroduction to a more adult iteration of the band. With it, a new Dead Licks are here, and they’re all grown up.

The Dead Licks Links

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