JD McPherson has premiered a new music video, and—you guessed it—you can watch it below. The Karkwa-esque song, “On the Lips,” is from the retro rocker’s monster 2017 album, Undivided Heart & Soul, which was named one of Guitar World‘s 10 Best Roots Albums of the Year.
The ethereal, Radiohead-meets-Duane-Eddy shimmy of “On the Lips” is indicative of the more contemporary sound of Undivided Heart & Soul. The Oklahoma-bred guitarist—whose early gems include three-chord rockers like “North Side Gal”—has been branching out a bit, album by album (Undivided Heart & Soul is his third).
Regardless, it’s all rock and roll to McPherson & Co.
“If anyone asks what kind of music we play, we say rock and roll,” McPherson told Guitar World. “We’re a rock and roll band. A lot of people might be surprised at my perception of what rock and roll is, the fact that it didn’t end after three years of its inception. I love rock and roll all the way through Rockpile, through T-Rex, through the Stooges. To me, all of those things are fair game to soak up into what we do. It also has a lot to do with what you’re listening to at the time or where your head is.
“And, I gotta tell ya, fear can be a real impediment to the creative process; it also can be an incredible aid to the creative process, because making this record was, like, these songs were just falling out, and I was having a really hard time wrestling with the fact that some people might be bummed out that it didn’t feel like the first record.
“There was a point where I literally couldn’t worry anymore. It was like, these are the songs I’m writing, this is what we’re doing. We did it, and so far so good. We’ve gotten a very positive response to it.”
For the rest of that brilliant interview, head here.
In other McPherson news, the guitarist is featured in Fender’s latest video, which promotes the company’s new American Original Series, a line of electric guitars inspired by some of their most successful Fifties, Sixties and Seventies models. You can watch that clip below. (McPherson first appears at the 21-second mark).
For more about McPherson and the new album, visit jdmcpherson.com.
