Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats unveil “David and Goliath” today—listen/watch/share the lyric video here. The song is the second offering from their highly-anticipated fourth studio album South of Here, set to release June 28 via Stax—pre-save/pre-order here.
On “David and Goliath”, Rateliff is magnetic over marching keys, electric guitar and organ from The Night Sweats. He croons, “I want to be different now, a square peg feeling round,” reaching across damaged connections with unflinching honesty. Emotional and anthemic, the track is another direct look into Rateliff’s internal dialogue.
“Anxiety … the intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations,” says Rateliff, “feels to the person experiencing it as impossible of a battle as David slaying a giant. This is the first track of our new record and deals directly with the battle with oneself.”
The new song follows the release of the first single “Heartless,” currently climbing through the charts—in the Top 10 at Triple A and Billboard Adult Alternative and Top 3 on the Americana Singles Chart as this week’s #1 Spin Gainer for all. Relix writes, ‘"Heartless” pours over with heart, testifying to Rateliff’s mastery of reflecting the knotty wholeness of life through personal narrative and sonic storytelling,” while Consequence notes, "Though there are tales of anguish and doubt in “Heartless,” the harmonies around Rateliff from the Night Sweats offer support and a light in the dark."
Produced by Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver, Kevin Morby) and recorded at Sonic Ranch outside El Paso, Texas, South of Here reckons with a lifetime of pain and trauma and transforms it into a stirring, soul-baring rumination on love, loss, hope and resolve. Following And It’s Still Alright, Rateliff’s beloved 2020 solo LP, and The Future, The Night Sweats’ acclaimed 2021 release, the new album seamlessly blends both sides of his immense talent: emotionally potent, vivid storytelling and the rugged, R&B revivalism that has powered the band to world-wide acclaim over the past decade.
Across 11 original tracks, all written by Rateliff & performed by The Night Sweats: Nathaniel Rateliff, Luke Mossman, Joseph Pope III, Mark Shusterman, Patrick Meese, Daniel Hardaway, Jeff Dazey, and Andreas Wild, the band, in peak form, plays with intuitive beauty while Cook’s production captures the group’s soulful fire with immediacy and purpose.
“Brad was a great producer to write alongside. This album is a look into my own struggle with anxiety, insecurity and also stories of my life. He encouraged me to take responsibility for my own narrative in the songs and to write about what’s happening in my own life,” Rateliff notes. “These recordings were done together in a room with my closest friends. I hope these songs and stories give you an opportunity to better understand your own struggles whatever they may be.”
Over the course of his career, Nathaniel Rateliff has generated widespread acclaim from critics and musicians alike. Robert Plant recently placed him among the next generation of greats. “He is one of these guys that will just carry the torch. Beautiful songwriting, beautiful singing, great delivery and he is a magnificent guy to go with it.”
Borne from the rock clubs in and around Denver, CO., Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have released three LPs, two EPs, and a live album. Since their 2015 self-titled breakthrough album, the band has established themselves as generational talents through their ecstatic and dynamic live performances and a growing catalog of essential studio recordings. South of Here is another mighty leap forward. Bound by the struggle for identity and the search for belonging, it reverberates with the understanding that we’re all in this beautiful mess together.
TRACK LIST
SOUTH OF HERE
1. David and Goliath
2. Heartless
3. Remember I Was a Dancer
4. Get Used to the Night
5. South of Here
6. Everybody Wants Something
7. Center of Me
8. Cars in the Desert
9. I Would Like to Heal
10. Call Me (Whatever You Like)
11. Time Makes Fools of Us All
