One of Cincinnati’s greatest musical exports, Wussy, is gearing up for a new album. What Heaven is Like is the rockers’ seventh full-length release, coming on the heels of its most acclaimed effort yet, 2016’s Forever Sounds (read CityBeat’s cover story on the band and Forever Sounds here).
The album is again being released through the Cincinnati-based Shake It Records imprint, as well as Damnably Records in the U.K. Wussy kicks off its touring for the album on May 24 in Manchester, England. The two-week tour also includes dates throughout the U.K. and in Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
Today the band debuted the album's first single, “Gloria,” via the popular music site Stereogum. Listen to the track below and click the player to pre-order the LP (including on limited-edition vinyl) and get an immediate download of the track.
Co-frontperson Lisa Walker tells Stereogum that “Gloria” was inspired by the TV series Fargo and Broad City.
Yeah, in a weird way Fargo rings very true for me. I grew up in Muncie and went to school in a one-stoplight town called Gaston.. but I also spent some time living in Eagan, Minnesota. So I appreciate the Coens’ and Hawley’s sympathetic and often-realistic portrayals of Midwestern characters. Both the heroes and the villains. There are moments of shining valor, but it’s not all flyover sweetness. There are certain skills you hone to survive, we all do… and so the people you meet here (I live in Cincinnati – but referring to the Midwest in general) are a pretty interesting lot. A lotta grit, cunning and wisdom. Despair too, but hope often comes out on top. Either way, it’s pretty raw out here.
I wrote the song in pieces between binge-watching portions. I had to take a big break in the middle, because I got too damn depressed. I was still reeling from the whole election thing, and it was mirroring real life a little too much. So the early versions of the lyrics got really dark for a while. But then I finally jumped back in… (I think an episode of Broad City might have inspired me to just move on)… and that episode with the Stranger in the bowling alley… Good god.. It brought me to tears. Like sobbing uncontrollably. It was this cathartic moment that I needed. i can’t even explain why, but it was this sort of healing moment. Anyhow… I digress. Gloria became this very hallowed character for me. The invisible woman who rises up. She’s the goddam hero we need right now.
UPDATE: Wussy has added a Cincinnati date before heading overseas to support their new album. The band will play the Woodward Theater on May 5. Tickets are on sale now here.
Contact Mike Breen: mbreen@citybeat and @CityBeatMusic
