Cartel Return With First Full-Length Album in 13 Years, Learning How To Cope
Cartel's back, just like that, with their first full-length album in over 10 years.
The Atlanta alt-rock band issued Learning How To Cope on Sept. 18 via Field Day Records, their first studio album since 2013. The 12-track offering arrives following some stand-alone singles, including "Oxy Moron," "Give Or Take," "Deadbeat Drag" and "Shirts & Skins."
The album includes a new collaboration with Dashboard Confessional entitled "Constants."
Will Pugh, the frontman of the band, felt that the making of the album was a much longer process than the band took to write and record it in 21 months.
"It's been 13 years since I've felt this," Pugh said. "This album comes out of a much longer season of transformation in my personal life. I am so grateful to Cartel for being able to return to music."
How To Cope is the band's first new material since leaving their nostalgia bubble behind The band spent the past year commemorating their 20th anniversary of 2005's Chroma as they returned to clubs and festivals with a wave of new alt and pop-punk bands.
Instead of re-exploring that time, the new record examines themes such as personal struggle, shattered systems, treachery and protest.
A handful of songs are specifically directed at those issues. "Give Or Take" touches on the band's frustration with the music industry, and "Disarmed" tackles the issues of intolerance and bigotry. The album's final track, "Everything's Fine" is more of a general overview of the world being left in the hands of generations to come.
The page also contains a note from Pugh as a parent: "Themes of gun violence in the US and international violence."
In musical terms, the band eschew their melodic, hook-laden style of composition which has characterized their music from the earliest days, but even here there is a heavier feel to the new material.
The current members include frontwoman Pugh, guitarist Joseph Pepper, guitarist Nic Hudson, drummer Kyle Adams and bassist Kevin Mahoney.
To promote the album, Cartel announced a long tour schedule and list of festivals. The band began by playing Shaky Knees in Atlanta on the album's release day, followed by an album release show at The Masquerade.
They will also be performing at Riot Fest in Chicago, Four Chord Music Festival in Pittsburgh and Furnace Fest in Birmingham. These dates come on the heels of a recent stint on the Vans Warped Tour Montreal stop and the Soundtrack Of Your Summer Festival.
Beginning November 5 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Cartel will be supporting State Champs on their Around The World And Back Again tour. The 18 date North American tour continues through December with dates throughout the country including stops in Buffalo, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Nashville and Orlando.
With Learning How To Cope, Cartel start a new chapter but without erasing their history that got them there. Having revisited Chroma this past year, the band currently has a new record and a new series of shows to propel them forward.
Learning How To Cope Tracklist
1. "All Singing, All Dancing"
2. "Oxy Moron"
3. "Constants" feat. Dashboard Confessional
4. "Deadbeat Drag"
5. "Shirts & Skins"
6. "Think Twice"
7. "Inside Out"
8. "Give Or Take"
9. "Supercalapocalypticexpialidocious"
10. "Sry Not Sry"
11. "Disarmed"
12. "Everything's Fine"
Upcoming Cartel Shows
Sept. 20- Chicago, IL - Riot Fest
Sept. 26 - Pittsburgh, PA - 4 Chord Festival
Oct. 10 – Birmingham, AL – Furnace Fest
With State Champs:
5. Nov. - Allentown, PA - Archer Music Hall
Nov. 6 - Buffalo, NY - Riverworks
Nov. 7 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Centre
Nov. 8 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Nov. 10 - Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge
Nov. 12 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Nov. 13 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Nov. 14 - Nov. 14 - Nov. 14 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium
15th Nov - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
November 17 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
18th November - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
Nov. 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
21-Nov Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
23.11 - Davenport, IA - Capitol Theatre
Nov. 24 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
Nov. 25 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
Nov. 27 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
29 Nov - Baltimore, MD - Nevermore Hall
Dec. 1 - Richmond, VA - The National
Dec. 3- Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
Dec. 5 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
Dec. 6 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
