Albuquerque, N.M.-based rock outfit the Shins will release their sophomore studio album, “Chutes Too Narrow,” Oct. 21 via Sub Pop. A commercial single for “So Says I” will be released Sept. 23, backed with the non-album B-side “Mild Child” and an alternate version of album cut “Gone for Good.”
The 10-track “Chutes Too Narrow” was recorded in frontman James Mercer’s basement studio in Portland, Ore. It’s the long-awaited follow-up to 2001’s “Oh, Inverted World,” which has sold 92,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Fans won over by the sunny, ’60s-inspired pop/rock found on “Oh, Inverted World” will have plenty to enjoy on “Chutes Too Narrow.” Elements of country music dot a number of tunes, including the slide guitar-laden “Gone for Good” and the wistful “Young Pilgrims.” Other highlights include the drumless “Pink Bullets,” the shuffling “Mine’s Not a High Horse” and opener “Kissing the Lipless.”
The Shins have a handful of shows on their itinerary in the coming weeks, including a previously announced Sept. 5 show in Philadelphia, in celebration of Magnet Magazine’s 10th anniversary. The group will also play the Bumbershoot festival Aug. 29 in Seattle and the Austin City Limits Sept. 21 in Austin, Texas.
Here is the track list for “Chutes Too Narrow”:
“Kissing the Lipless”
“Mine’s Not a High Horse”
“So Says I”
“Young Pilgrims”
“Saint Simon”
“Fighting in a Sack”
“Pink Bullets”
“Turn a Square”
“Gone for Good”
“Those To Come”
Here are the Shins’ tour dates:
Aug. 29: Seattle (Memorial Stadium / Bumbershoot Festival)
Sept. 3-4: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Sept. 5: Philadelphia (Trocadero / Magnet anniversary show)
Sept. 19: Fort Worth, Texas (Ridglea Theatre)
Sept. 20: Austin, Texas (Antone’s)
Sept. 21: Austin, Texas (Zilker Park / Austin City Limits)
Sept. 24: Albuquerque, N.M. (Launch Pad)
