Photo by Matt Cooper

Toadies are set to return with their seventh studio album, The Lower Side of Uptown, on September 8th via Kirtland Records. The alternative stalwarts’ fifth effort since reuniting in 2006, this latest record finds the band harkening back to their 1994 debut, Rubberneck — even if that wasn’t their initial intention.

“I feel that subconsciously we thought that this record would have ended up incorporating some of that quieter sound, but that didn’t happen,” guitarist Clark Vogeler said in a statement. “When we got to the studio with nothing more than a pile of riffs, what came out of the band was really loud and heavy music. So not only is this album louder than [2015’s] Heretics, I think it’s louder and heavier than the last couple Toadies albums.”

That case is made clear on the album’s lead single, “Broke Down Stupid”. The riffs are dizzying in their slog, like a drunk tethered to a stake, dragging himself through circles in the mud. It would almost be amusing if it weren’t so dismal looking, which goes just as well for the track. There are moments of what sound like redemption before guitar slides drop everything back into self-flagellation. “And i hang my head out the window/ Watch the pavement spinning past my face,” sings an angry and dejected Vaden Todd Lewis. “I wonder if I woke up on your pillow/ Would my head my head feel this way?”

“‘Broke Down Stupid’ is a song that could’ve appeared on Rubberneck,” drummer Mark Reznicek tells Consequence of Sound. “But it was so goddamn ahead of its time, it took until 2017 to really make sense.” Take a listen to the killer track below.

Toadies will celebrate the release of The Lower Side of Uptown with their 10th annual Dia De Los Toadies festival on September 16th at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas. Their tourmates Local H will be with them for the event, and you can find their complete itinerary below.

Toadies 2017 Tour Dates:
09/06 – Denton, TX @ Rockin Rodeo
09/07 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
09/08 – Kansas City, MO @ KRBZ Beach Ball
09/09 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar
09/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
09/12 – Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse
09/13 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In
09/14 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy
09/16 – Possum Kingdom Lake, TX @ Possum Hollow (Dia De Los Toadies)
09/19 – El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
09/20 – Tucson, AZ @ Congress
09/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
09/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent
09/23 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
09/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
09/26 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
09/27 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater
09/29 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/30 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
10/01 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
10/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
10/04 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theatre
10/05 – Denver, CO @ Gothic
10/06 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
10/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
10/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ 1st Ave.
10/10 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
10/11 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury
10/12 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
10/13 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
10/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex
10/17 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/18 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
10/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
10/20 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/21 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
10/22 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva
10/24 – Durham, NC @ Motorco
10/25 – Wilmington, NC @ The Muse
10/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Hell
10/27 – Orlando, FL @ Plaza Live
10/28 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
10/29 – Tampa, FL @ Ritz
10/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas
11/04 – Carrolton, TX @ Carrollton Festival at the Switchyard
11/10 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs BBQ