Photo credit: Danny Clinch
Following their acclaimed 2021 album The Future, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats return with a 5-track EP called What If I, set for release June 2nd via Stax/Fantasy. The EP features four previously unreleased songs recorded during The Future sessions as well as a newly written and recorded track called ‘Buy My Round’. Pre-order/save the EP HERE.
Today, the band previewed the EP sharing ‘What If I’ (Cook Brothers Version), a re-styling of a track from The Future. Listen HERE.
“We loved this song on The Future, but man is it hard for us to sing live,” recalls Rateliff. “Not just me, but Pat Meese (drums, percussion, keys) and Mark Shusterman (organ, keys) are screaming their harmonies. So, we wanted another version to add to some of the other songs we held back from the full length. I gave it over to Bradley Cook and Phil Cook...Phil arranged the piano part he wrote around just my vocal and added a simple clap. Pat, Mark, and Luke Mossman (guitar) added some extra sounds to Phil’s arrangement while we were on the road, along with shaker and cabasa from Matt McCaughan. I love the way this version turned out.”
All songs on the What If I EP were written by Rateliff (except ‘Buy My Round’, written by Nathaniel Rateliff and Mark Shusterman) and produced by Bradley Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby, The War on Drugs) and R.M.B.—the production trio of Rateliff, Meese and James Barone (Beach House). In addition, the track ‘Slow Pace of Time’ features The Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s leader and clarinetist, Charlie Gabriel.
Rateliff and the band continue take their lauded live show on the road this year, including an extensive run of worldwide dates this summer - including a headline appearance at the UK’s Black Deer Festival. Other upcoming performances include appearances at Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend, Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration and multiple shows at the Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson & Family.
WHAT IF I EP - TRACK LIST
Buy My Round
What If I (Cook Brothers Version)
That’s Your Opinion
Slow Pace of Time (featuring Charlie Gabriel)
Suffer Me
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS UK & EU LIVE DATES
June
16—Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom—Black Deer Festival
18—Landgraaf, The Netherlands—Pinkpop Festival
20—Cologne, Germany—Live Music Hall†
21—Berlin, Germany—Huxley's Neue Welt†
23—Vienna, Austria—Arena Wien Open Air†
25—Munich, Germany—Backstage Werk†
26—Zürich, Switzerland—Kaufleuten†
28—Paris, France—Cabaret Sauvage†
29—Rotselaar, Belgium—Rock Werchter
July
2—Ferrara, Italy—Comfort Festival
3—Milan, Italy—Magnolia Open Ai
6—Madrid Spain—Mad Cool Festival
7—Algés, Lisbon, Portugal—Nos Alive
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