No matter how far their rock ‘n’ roll adventures may take them—wether it be to London at the height of the punk movement or getting dissed by Steve Miller at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame—Ohioans stick together. Perhaps that’s why Akron, Ohio’s own Chrissie Hynde has enlisted another native of the Rubber City (or The Meth Capital of Ohio, depending on what decade we’re talking about) to produce a new Pretenders album.
Titled Alone, this will be The Pretenders’ first album since 2008’s Break Up The Concrete. Originally conceived as a Chrissie Hynde solo record, the album was recorded by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach and features Hynde backed by a band composed of veteran Nashville session musicians as well as keyboardist Leon Michels and drummer Richard Swift, of Auerbach’s other garage-rock outfit, The Arcs.
Alone’s title track celebrates the joy of solitude, a topic Hynde says was inspired by her contentedly single lifestyle. “I’ve heard 1,000 songs in my life, they’re all about, I am so tired of being alone. I can’t live without you. Since you’ve left my world has fallen apart,” she says. “I have never heard anyone celebrate being alone in a song. I couldn’t think of one.” The album also features odes to the hard-working men and women of the road crew (“Roadie Man”) and a collaboration with legendary rockabilly guitarist Duane Eddy (”Never Be Together”), but the first single, “Holy Commotion,” is less garage rock and more synth-pop, with Hynde’s signature throaty growl contrasted with bubbly keyboards and background vocals.
You can hear “Holy Commotion,” as well as view The Pretenders’ upcoming fall tour dates with Stevie Nicks, below.
Alone debuts on October 21.
The Pretenders North American Tour 2016
10/25—Talking Stick Arena—Phoenix, AZ
10/27 —Pepsi Center—Denver, CO
10/29—Toyota Center—Houston, TX
10/30—American Airlines Center—Dallas, TX
11/2—Amalie Arena—Tampa, FL
11/4—BB&T Center—Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/6—Phillips Arena—Atlanta, GA
11/7—Bridgestone Arena—Nashville, TN
11/10—Time Warner Cable Arena—Charlotte, NC
11/12—Colonial Life Arena—Columbia, SC
11/14—Verizon Center—Washington, DC
11/15—TD Garden—Boston, MA
11/19—Sands Bethlehem Event Center—Bethlehem, PA
11/20—Wells Fargo Center—Philadelphia, PA
11/23—Van Andel Arena—Grand Rapids, MI
11/25 —Mohegan Sun Arena—Uncasville, CT
11/27—The Palace of Auburn Hills—Detroit, MI
11/29—Air Canada Centre—Toronto, ON
12/1—Madison Square Garden—New York, NY
12/3—United Center—Chicago, IL
12/5—Pinnacle Bank Arena—Linsoln, NE
12/6—Xcel Energy Center—St. Paul, MN
12/9—Pepsi Live at Rogers Center—Vancouver, BC
12/11 —Key Arena—Seattle, WA
12/13—Golden 1 Center—Sacramento, CA
12/14—SAP Center—San Jose, CA
12/18—The Forum—Inglewood, CA