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Jun 02, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Graham Tolbert

Grammy nominated American folk band, Hiss Golden Messenger, have just announced the release of their 11th studio album, Jump for Joy, and shared its first single, “Nu-Grape,” via music video. They have also announced fall dates with support from artists such as William Tyler and The Impossible Truth, Sylvie, Adeem the Artist, and The Lostines. Jump for Joy is due out August 25 via Merge. Rett Rogers directed the “Nu-Grape” video. Watch it below, followed by Jump for Joy’s tracklist, cover artwork, and tour dates below.

Hiss Golden Messenger have taken a turn in their musicality with Jump for Joy, as bandleader, M.C Taylor has been attributed to it being more autobiographical, pulling ideas from experiences throughout his own life.

As he explains in a press release: “I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.”

“Nu-Grape” features vivacious lyrics, supported by jaunty instrumentals and an exuberant chorus featuring Aoife O’Donnvoan and Amy Helm on backing vocals.

Previous Hiss Golden Messenger projects include their 2021 holiday album O Come All Ye Faithful, and their 2022 single “Grieving.”

Jump for Joy Tracklist:

1. 20 Years and a Nickel
2. Alice
3. I Saw the New Day in the World
4. Shinbone
5. Little Pink Church
6. Jesus Is Bored
7. Nu-Grape
8. Feeling Eternal
9. Jump for Joy
10. The Wondering
11. Palo Santo/Cloud Mesa
12. California King
13. My Old Friends
14. Sunset on the Faders

Hiss Golden Messenger Tour Dates:

July 21 – Waldoboro, ME – Waldo Theatre (M.C. Taylor Solo)
July 22 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square (M.C. Taylor Solo) [SOLD OUT]
July 23 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square (M.C. Taylor Solo) [SOLD OUT]
August 4-8 – Kaslo Bay Park, BC – Kaslo Jazz Etc. Fest
September 15 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
September 16 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom+
September 17 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
October 19 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House*
October 20 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club*
October 21 – New York, NY – Webster Hall*
October 22 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall*
October 25 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair*
October 26 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair*
October 27 – Holyoke, MA – Race Street Live*
October 28 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB*
October 29 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre*
November 1 – Detroit, MI – El Club*
November 2 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom*
November 3 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line*
November 4 – Chicago, IL – Metro*
November 5 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Indy*
November 7 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn#
November 9 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl#
November 10 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West#
November 11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel#
November 28 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub#
November 29 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub#
November 30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall#
December 1 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room#
December 2 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre#
December 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room#
December 5 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory#
December 7 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre^
December 8 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre^
December 9 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall^
December 10 – Eugene, OR – W.O.W. Hall^
December 11 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s^
December 13 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theatre^
December 14 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore^
December 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour^
December 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room^
December 30 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
December 31 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
March 1 – 8, 2024 – Miami, FL – Cayamo Cruise