On the 2017 Quiet Slang EP We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags, James Alex re-worked some songs from his other band, Beach Slang, into softer recordings, stripping them of their indie rock edge in favor of more relaxing vibes. Now he’s announced that he’s back with more of the same: Everything Matters But No One Is Listening, the first full-length Quiet Slang album, is slated for release on May 18th via Polyvinyl Record Co. He has also shared a video for the Quiet Slang version of “Dirty Cigarettes,” originally from the 2014 Beach Slang album Cheap Thrills On A Dead End Street, but re-done here as a piano- and string-driven ballad.
“If Beach Slang is me fawning over The Replacements, Quiet Slang is me head-over-heels for Stephin Merritt,” Alex says of the project. He also spoke more specifically about the video, telling Stereogum:
“You can be born into damage, into being forgotten. That stuff sticks with you, you know? You sort of just swirl around, looking for something that makes you feel like you might matter. Sometimes you get lucky and that feeling shows up. Other times, it’s tougher. ‘Dirty Cigarettes’ was filmed in an empty church reception hall the day after a wedding — a strange mix of love and loneliness. Something about that felt right. Anyway, Laura, Heather and I played the song a handful of times while Jason held a camera and Charlie made me feel less awkward. And for an afternoon, I felt like I could stop looking.”
Watch the video for “Dirty Cigarettes” above, and below, check out the Everything Matters But No One Is Listening album art and tracklist, as well as Quiet Slang’s upcoming tour dates below, all of which, aside from the two SXSW appearances, are with Dashboard Confessional.
1. “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas”
2. “Noisy Heaven”
3. “Future Mixtape for the Art Kids”
4. “Filthy Luck”
5. “Dirty Cigarettes”
6. “Too Late to Die Young”
7. “Spin the Dial”
8. “Young Hearts”
9. “Throwaways”
10. “Warpaint”
3/14 — Official SXSW Showcase @ St. David’s Historic Sanctuary
3/15 — Pandora at SXSW @ The Gatsby
3/20 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues
3/21 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
3/23 — Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
3/24 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
3/25 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
3/26 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
3/27 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
3/29 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
3/30 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
3/31 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
4/02 — Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony
4/3 — Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
4/4 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
4/05 — Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
4/06 — Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live
4/07 — Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
4/08 — Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater
4/09 — Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
4/11 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
4/13 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
4/14 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
4/16 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
4/17 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
4/18 — San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
4/20 — Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
4/21 — Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
