“I didn’t want to be jammy acoustic guy anymore,” Ryley Walker previously said about his upcoming album, Deafman Glance. So far, it seems like he’s accomplished his goal based on early singles “Telluride Speed,” “Opposite Middle,” and now, “Spoil The Rest.”
Of the tracks he’s shared so far, this is one the most straightforward, with its more traditional structure and alt.-country-meets-alt.-rock sound flourished by jazzy guitar passages. Walker says this song came along very early on in the album-writing process:
“‘Spoil With The Rest’ was, I think, the first or second tune written for the record in January of 2017. I think it’s a really funny look at trying and failing. I tune the bottom two strings up a full step for this song. I always think I’m gonna break the strings when I play it live. Very fitting.”
He also told Stereogum of the song, “I was really down. I try hard and I f-ck things up a lot. Those words come easy to me, but it’s a fun song — and it’s fun to write about something so self-loathing but [make the song] so cheery.”
Listen to “Spoil With The Rest” above. Walker also has a bunch of tour dates spread throughout the rest of the year, so check those out below.
5/18 — Chicago, IL @ Hungry Brain (Record Release Show)
5/19 — Chicago, IL @ Hungry Brain (Record Release Show)
7/15 — Bruges, Belgium @ Cactus Festival
7/18 — Helsinki, Finland @ G Livelab
7/19-22 — Salisbury, UK @ Larmer Tree Festival
7/22 — Leeuwarden, Netherlands @ Welcome To The Village Festival
7/24 — Munich, Germany @ Milla
7/26 — Ravenna, Italy @ Hana-bi
7/27-29 – Vasto, Italy @ Siren Festival
8/24-26 – Pine Plains, NY @ Huichica East Music Festival
9/11 – St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
9/12 — Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Café
9/13 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
9/14 — Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
9/15 — Dallas, TX @ The Foundry
9/17 – Santa Fe, NM @ Rufina Taproom
9/18 — Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
9/21 — San Francisco @ The Chapel
9/22 — Big Sur, CA @ Freaks of The Festival
9/24 — Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
9/25 — Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall
9/26 — Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
9/27 — Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Gardens — Great Escape Series
9/28 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
9/29 — Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
9/30 — Fort Collins, CO @ Downtown Artery
10/2 — Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
10/3 — Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag
10/4 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
10/5 — Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
10/6 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Backroom @ Colectivo
11/6 — Berlin, Germany @ Frannz Club
11/7 — Aarhus, Denmark @ Atlas
11/8 — Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega
11/9-10 — Wangels, Germany @ Rolling Stone Weekender
11/13 — Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
11/14 — Köln, Germany @ Artheater
11/15 — Bern, Switzerland @ ISC Club
11/16 — Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F
11/16-17 — Rust, Germany @ Rolling Stone Park
11/19 — Barcelona, Spain @ Sidecar
11/20 — Madrid, Spain @ El Intruso
11/21 — Sevilla, Spain @ Sala X
11/22 — Lisbon, Portugal @ ZDB
11/24 — San Sebastian, Spain @ Badabada
11/27 — London, UK @ Scala
11/28 — Bristol, UK @ The Fleece
11/29 — Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall
11/30 — Brighton, UK @ The Old Market
12/1 — Paris, France @ Point Ephemere
12/2 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso Noord
12/6 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
12/7 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G
12/8 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
12/9 – Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery
12/11 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
12/12 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
12/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
12/15 – Montclair, NJ @ Outpost In The Suburbs
12/16 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
12/18 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
12/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Deafman Glance is out 5/18 via Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.
