On May 26, Ontario’s rock ‘n’ roll torchbearers, The Dirty Nil, will drop a new album, Free Rein to Passions via Dine Alone Records. Today they further tease the album via the release of a new single, the album’s opener “Celebration.” Featuring a chugging metal riff as a subtle ode to one of The Nil’s influences, Power Trip’s late frontman Riley Gale, frontman Luke Bentham says, “This is our purest love song, unconditional and without mercy. ‘Tell me what you want in the whole wide world. I’ll do it.’”
The Dirty Nil previously shared lead-single “Nicer Guy” which Brooklyn Vegan labeled “loud and anthemic.” Free Rein To Passions is a return to form for the band, marking a more reckless approach for the JUNO Award-winning trio. Across the album’s 10 tracks the band keeps things simple lyrically and thematically with songs about working soul-sucking jobs, shredding on guitar, and striving to be a kinder person. “The only real central theme of the album is an acknowledgment of the crazy circumstances that we all occupy at this point in time, and being nice,” Bentham stresses. “It’s about being nice to everyone around you, and enjoying your silly little life and not getting too smashed down by prevailing negativity in the air.”
The Nil again recruited longtime collaborative producer John Goodmanson to capture their sound at Jukasa Media on Ontario’s Six Nations Reserve. They also brought in new blood with bassist Sam Tomlinson, a friend and fellow product of the Dundas scene. “In some ways it feels like going back to our roots in Dundas, and Sam knows what that’s like,” adds drummer Kyle Fisher. “He’s cut from the same cloth as Luke and I.”
Staring into the abyss of entertainment serfdom, the trio spat on it. They smashed the chalice of poison brought to their lips, grinding the shards under their heels. A rock and roll band is part religion, part small business and part pirate ship. Sabres were wielded and planks were walked for The Dirty Nil to bring Free Rein to Passions into this world. It was a battle well worth fighting.
Upcoming North American Tour Dates w/ Daniel Romano’s Outfit:
6/1/23 – Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
6/2/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
6/4/23 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
6/6/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre
6/7/23 – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis Pub
6/8/23 – Red Deer, AB @ Starlite Room
6/10/23 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth
6/11/23 – Medicine Hat, AB @ Casa Amigos
6/13/23 – Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
6/14/23 – Kelowa, BC @ Runaways
6/15/23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
6/16/23 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
6/17/23 – Seattle, WA @ Madam Lou’s
6/18/23 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
6/20/23 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
6/21/23 – Fresno, CA – Strummers
6/22/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
6/23/23 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
6/24/23 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
6/25/23 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
6/27/23 – Austin, TX @ Parish
6/28/23 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
6/29/23 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Halls (Upstairs)
6/30/23 – New Orleans, LA @ Santos
7/1/23 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7/2/23 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
7/5/23 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
7/6/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
7/7/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
7/8/23 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
7/11/23 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
7/12/23 – Boston, MA @ Sonia
7/13/23 – Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon
7/14/23 – Buffalo, NY @ Red Room
