‘90s alt-rock icons the Spin Doctors released “The Heart Of The Highway,” the third single from their upcoming LP Face Full of Cake, out April 11 via Capitol Records. Tackling the transient nature of life as an artist, the song is drenched in psychedelic guitars and zigzaging percussion – all tied together by Chris Barron’s unmistakable vocal delivery.
Next month, the band will play a special album release show at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl on April 12 followed by a four-night residency at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre in June and appearances at major festivals like Boston Calling, Bourbon & Beyond and Oceans Calling. This summer, they’ll also hit the road for a tour with Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms. For a full list of shows, please see below or visit spindoctors.com.
“One of the ongoing themes of this band is the juxtaposition of living your dream and doing what you love,” says Barron. “But paying the price of being away from home and the people that you love in order to do that. The song is a bit of a poem about how it feels to be far from home.”
From the album, the band has shared the nostalgic “Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven,” which imagines an afterlife where the beer stays cold and the amps go up to 11, and “Still A Gorilla” which showcases a noisier, heavier sound and garnered praise from Rolling Stone who said the song is “genuinely surprising and fun, led by a marauding fuzzed-out riff.” The upcoming LP marks their debut on Capitol Records and the first Spin Doctors record with new bassist Jack Daley who joined the band full-time in 2021, rounding out the four-piece including Barron, guitarist Eric Schenkman and drummer Aaron Comess. Recorded at Daley’s Asbury Park, NJ studio, the album features a combination of the easy-going hook-forward songs and freewheeling jam sensibilities they’ve always exhibited with bluesy funk flavor and straightforward rock’n’roll.
“Spin Doctors fans are going to be knocked out by this new record,” shares Barron. “It’s got that vintage Spin Doctors sound of ear candy and denser material that harkens back to Pocket Full Of Kryptonite but with years of experience under our belts.”
Formed in 1988 in New York City, Spin Doctors’ full-length 1991 debut Pocket Full of Kryptonite sold over ten million copies across the world and spawned two massive singles: “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” which reached number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and the now ubiquitous Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten hit “Two Princes,” which was the No. 1 Rock radio hit of 1993 and was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group at the GRAMMYs. They’ve appeared on SNL, played major festivals like Glastonbury and opened for The Rolling Stones. And after three decades and nearly two thousand shows, Spin Doctors remain as committed as ever.
