Heartless Bastards have announced their sixth album, and first new album in five years. A Beautiful Life is due out September 10 via Sweet Unknown Records/Thirty Tigers, and they've shared the first single, the bright, buoyant "How Low," which you can watch the video for below. The song "was inspired by my frustration with late-stage capitalism's effect on humanity and our environment," frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom says. "The planet sustains our lives, but if we continue to make everything we use disposable to where we have to constantly buy things over and over again, and we pollute, we’re going to wipe ourselves out in the not too distant future. Profits have been put far ahead of what is good for humanity. We’re all trying to get by in this world, but at what cost? We need a better system, one where we work for the common good. Today's prevalent mental health issues are definitely tied to this every man for himself mentality. It’s very isolating, people are longing for deep connections. Maybe a balanced society seems idyllic, but let’s dare to dream of a better world and all the possibilities If we all stop fighting amongst ourselves, and look at the bigger picture. 'How Low' felt like a challenging message to convey in a 4-minute video, but I think Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein did an incredible job."
The band's current lineup, which includes Lauren Gurgiolo (Okkervil River), drummer Greggory Clifford (White Denim), multi-instrumentalist Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake), keyboardist Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), guitarist David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin), and longtime bassist Jesse Ebaugh joining Wennerstrom, will head out on tour in support of the album in the fall, with dates in Nashville, Minneapolis, Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, and more. See all dates below.