Everlast has released Embers to Ashes, his first studio album in eight years, with the genre-blurring veteran turning a turbulent decade into a bruised collection of blues, Americana, rock and hip-hop.
Released today (August 31st), through Everlast’s own Martyr Inc Records in partnership with Thirty Tigers and Regime Music Group, Embers to Ashes finds the former House of Pain frontman working alongside Yelawolf, who produced the record.
Chris Lord-Alge handled the mix, while Tristan Eaton created its cover artwork.
The collaboration between Everlast and Yelawolf has been a long time coming, the pair initially crossed paths in Berlin around a decade ago, where Yelawolf expressed an interest in producing an Everlast album.
Ten years later, they finally ended up together in Nashville.
‘I let him just steer the ship, and he nailed it,’ Everlast said.
‘And a guy like Chris Lord-Alge has done it all for everybody. When we sent the album to Wolf, he wrote me back and said I’ve never in my life said I have no notes. When you don’t want to think about it, you hire the best people.’
Everlast ‘Mistaken Identity’ video
Everlast turns a brutal decade into music
There is plenty for Embers to Ashes to unpack.
Since Everlast’s previous album, his Los Angeles home was destroyed during the 2018 Woolsey fire, while the years that followed brought the pandemic and a divorce, rather than bury those experiences, the new record appears intent on digging directly through them.
‘Stones’ moves from self-loathing towards forgiveness, while ‘Love Don’t Heal’ and ‘Broken Heart for Hire’ explore different stages of heartbreak.
‘1987’ reaches considerably further backwards, revisiting Everlast’s life before his breakthrough, while ‘Rubber Bullets’ turns outward as a protest song written amid the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
The album ultimately lands on ‘Young Man’, with Everlast shifting into the role of elder and passing on some of the wisdom accumulated across a career stretching more than three decades.
Alongside the album comes a video for ‘Mistaken Identity’ (above) featuring Yelawolf.
Everlast ‘Embers To Ashes’ tracklist
- Losing Man’s Game
- Never Coming Home
- Mistaken Identity
- My Hollywood Broken Heart For Hire
- Stones
- Out of Your Way
- Lies
- Rubber Bullets
- Every Dog Has Its Day
- Ain’t Coming Home Tonight
- Love Don’t Heal
- Embers To Ashes
- 1987
- Happy You Can Cry
- Peace of Mind
- Young Man
Listen here.
Everlast will forever have ‘Jump Around’ and ‘What It’s Like’ sitting somewhere in his shadow. Embers to Ashes, however, doesn’t sound interested in pretending the past was always prettier.
Eight years later, he’s writing about what remains once the smoke clears.
MORE IN News
