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Aug 22, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Chris Phelps

Alt-country singer Margo Price has announced a new album, Strays II, and shared three new songs from it: “Strays,” “Closer I Get” (feat. Ny Oh), and “Malibu” (feat. Jonathan Wilson and Buck Meek). Strays II is due out October 13 via Loma Vista. The first three songs consist of the first section of the album, dubbed Act I: Topanga Canyon. Listen to all three songs below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as Price’s upcoming tour dates.

Strays II is the sequel to Strays, which Price released in January, also via Loma Vista.

Price had this to say about the three new songs in a press release: “The title track is the story of how my husband Jeremy and I met and fell in love in Nashville two decades ago. I wrote most of the words and Jeremy wrote the chords and melody. It also reflects how we have always tried to stay true to who we are as people: ‘Love and pain it comes in waves but it was quite enough in those early days, we were wild as wolves my darlin’, we were strays.’

“‘Closer I Get’ (co-written with Jeremy Ivey) was originally meant to open this double album with the line, ‘Being alive costs a lot of money but so does dying.’ I’ve always thought it was unfair that the moment we are born, we immediately start racking up debt just for existing. This song was conjured from the ashes of our initial psychedelic trip—sometimes your perception and depth of field changes depending on where you’re at in life.

“‘Malibu’ was written with Mike Campbell in his Malibu home after Jeremy and I had driven through the canyon fleeing a forest fire to get my guitar from our Airbnb. I had the start of the song and brought it to him looking to finish it out. I wanted to write something with a country funk/Bobbie Gentry feel, a good long rambling story about the minutiae of the day, like ‘Ode to Billy Joe.’ Mike added the long ‘California’ yodel and the bridge and was exactly what the song needed. My favorite line is ‘love and grief are a package deal, the more you have, the more you feel.’”

Strays featured guest appearances from Sharon Van Etten and Lucius, along with guitar from Mike Campbell. It featured the singles “Been to the Mountain,” “Change of Heart,” and “Lydia,” which was one of our Songs of the Week.

We did a photo shoot with Price and her husband, fellow artist Jeremy Ivey, for our 2021 Protest Issue.

Strays II Tracklist:

Act I: Topanga Canyon:

1. Strays
2. Closer I Get (feat. Ny Oh)
3. Malibu (feat. Jonathan Wilson, Buck Meek)

Act II: Mind Travel:

4. Black Wolf Blues
5. Mind Travel
6. Unoriginal Sin (feat. Mike Campbell)

Act III: Burn Whatever’s Left:

7. Homesick (feat. Jonathan Wilson)
8. Where Did We Go Wrong
9. Burn Whatever’s Left

Margo Price Tour Dates:

8/24 - London, UK - Rough Trade East
8/25 - London, UK - Lafayette
8/26 - Leicestershire, UK - The Long Road
9/8 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival
9/9 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
9/10 - Lexington, KY - The Burl County Fair
9/11 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall #
9/12 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom #
9/14 - Bloomington, IN - The Castle Theatre #
9/15 - Madison, WI - Live On King Street #
9/16 - Bayfield, WI - Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua #
9/17 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s #
9/22 - Camden, NJ - XPoNential Music Festival
9/23 - Noblesville, IN - Farm Aid
9/24 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
9/28 - Harrisburg, PA - Harrisburg University (XL Live)^
9/29 - Northampton, MA - Academy of Music^
9/30 - North Truro, MA - Payomet Performing Arts Center^
10/1 - Bridgeport, CT - Sound on Sound
10/3 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom^
10/5 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena*
10/6 - University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Center*
10/7 - Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena*
10/27 - Huntsville, AL - Orion Amphitheater!
11/3 - Scottsdale, AZ - Dreamy Draw

*supporting Chris Stapleton
#w/ S.G. Goodman
^w/ Brit Taylor
!supporting Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

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