RIVAL SONS 'Are Talking About' Getting Started On Writing The Next Album

In a new interview with The Logan Show, RIVAL SONS singer Jay Buchanan was asked if he and his bandmates are working on the follow-up to the two albums they released in 2023: "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Scott [Holiday, RIVAL SONS guitarist] and I, we're talking about it right now, about getting started on writing the next RIVAL SONS record. So we're doing that. I think Scott's working on producing a rock band, and I'm working on producing a couple of artists as well in our downtime. I'm finishing up the writing for a solo record in tandem with beginning the work on another RIVAL SONS album."

Regarding whether it is safe to say that the next RIVAL SONS record will once again be produced by Dave Cobb, Jay said: "More than likely. I mean, we've been together a really, really long time, but we've gotta talk with Dave. I think that something like that, even though we've worked together so much, everybody has to come together and feel really good. Things have to align properly. We always talk about it and see where everybody's heads are at.

"I love working with Dave," he added. "Gosh, we've recorded nine records with that man. That's a lot of time together… He's just so damn good at what he does. We love Dave, and I do. He's a good friend and an extremely talented person."

Asked if Cobb is "essentially almost like a silent member of RIVAL SONS now", having done so many albums with the band, Jay said: "Well, you could say that from a recording standpoint. When we've gone in to make records, we do 'em with Cobb, but I think that the band… We've covered so much ground, we've covered so much ground artistically and literally all over the world touring so much over the years, I think that when it comes to a certain degree of record making, he's like a fifth member that way, but it's only within that vacuum of when we're making the records. Because who the band is outside of when we're go in to make records is so much more. Our live show and the actual ethos and who the band is at its core, I think, is just so much more than what we do in the studio, because the writing takes place outside of the studio or outside of Cobb's purview, or so much of it. Dave Cobb, he'll lend a hand on inspiration and writing here and there, but I think that when we're writing, it is very much like that. But I think that the more the band has grown, I think that it's less and less so, and it's less and less so that way, because we, and I think that Cobb would agree, that him watching us grow the way that we have, like our creative approach and everything. It's wonderful to work together knowing each other so well. Cobb knows me just about as well as anybody else does. And having a shorthand of communication definitely helps out when you're in the studio. A lot of the time you'll just be thinking the same thing, and I think that that just comes from making so many records together that you can be on the same page. And then at other times be on a completely separate page because you're so close. It's like family."

In June 2021, RIVAL SONS delivered two live performances from Catalina Island, California which were originally streamed via Veeps to fans at home across the world, many of whom were still in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, for the first time, these performances are being made available to watch on YouTube and to stream on audio platforms. Both performances are being premiered via YouTube and released in their entirety digitally. "A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 1)" was released on November 22; "A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 2)" will be released on December 13.

RIVAL SONS play rock 'n' roll in its purest form without apology or pretense. They simply plug in, turn up, and rip on a path of their own. Along the way, they've architected a critically acclaimed catalogue, including "Pressure & Time" (2011),"Head Down" (2012),"Great Western Valkyrie" (2014),"Hollow Bones" (2016) and "Feral Roots" (2019). The latter represented a creative and critical high watermark, scoring a pair of Grammy Award nominations in the categories of "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for the single "Too Bad". Elevating the band to another level, "Do Your Worst" vaulted to No. 1 at Rock Radio as their biggest hit to date, tallying north of 60 million streams and counting. Speaking to their impact, Rolling Stone attested, "RIVAL SONS have done their part to introduce new fans to rock." Beyond sharing stages with everyone from BLACK SABBATH, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC to GUNS N' ROSES and Lenny Kravitz, they've ignited television shows such as "The Late Late Show With James Corden". During 2021, they launched their own label Sacred Tongue Recordings distributed by Thirty Tigers and celebrated the anniversary of their debut album with live streamed performances from Catalina Island Casino.

In 2023, they continued to subvert expectations with two full-length LPs — the aforementioned "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". Though the genesis of these albums is intertwined, they also speak to the band's perpetual progression forward.

The band once played over 250 shows in a year, and they are regulars on the festival circuit both through Europe and North America. One of the most hard-working rock'n'roll bands out there, 2024 saw the band complete extensive European festival dates throughout the summer, and then embark on "The Two-Headed Beast" tour with CLUTCH across North America.

Photo credit: Patrik Skoglöw