Cabbagetown: Stand up because The Rock*A*Teens are back with their first album since 2000! The release of Sixth House is set for June 29, and this morning, NPR is sharing “Go Tell Everybody” (hint, hint), the first preview of the ten-track album. Of the song, NPR says it's "the kind of darkly cinematic screenwriting that made those old Rock*A*Teens records so weirdly vibrant — death and triumph wrapped in an ambivalent apparition."

Pre-order Sixth House in the Merge store on CD and limited-edition translucent green Peak Vinyl (which also includes a beautiful 24” × 24” poster featuring photography from Chris Verene). The album can also be pre-ordered from your favorite local record store and preferred digital music service.

Following their 2014 reunion at the Merge 25 festival and the 2-LP reissue of their last album Sweet Bird of Youth, The Rock*A*Teens returned to touring and playing live. Restless with the need to move forward, the band began writing and recording new music.

Guided by a batch of home recordings and demos, frontman Chris Lopez, guitarist Justin Hughes, bassist William R. Joiner, and drummer Ballard Lesemann convened with Tim Delaney at Electron Gardens Studio and Rafael Pereira at Tribo Studios to shape their ideas into the glorious, bombastic new album Sixth House.

These days, Lopez and the R*A*Ts are turning towards a more refined approach to recording and performance while preserving their distinctly unvarnished lyrical and musical perspective. “In the past we hid behind walls of reverb, noise, production tricks,” Lopez says. “We wanted these particular songs to stand in the light.” On Sixth House, the gauze is removed—the anthems are illuminated, the ballads are clear-eyed, and the stories are in sharp focus.

Superchunk is taking the R*A*Ts out on a southeast jaunt this weekend, and the band will be in Brooklyn for a show at Elsewhere following Sixth House’s release; rest assured there will be more live appearances from the band this year. Say it again with us: The Rock*A*Teens are back! The Rock*A*Teens are BACK!

The Rock*A*Teens on tour:
Apr 26 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West#
Apr 27 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle# (SOLD OUT)
Apr 28 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle#
Jul 13 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
# w/ Superchunk

photo: Brett Falcon