DESERT SESSIONS

VOLS. 11 & 12
ARRIVEDERCI DESPAIR
TIGHTWADS & NITWITS & CRITICS & HEELS

PERFORMED BY JOSHUA HOMME, CARLA AZAR, MATT BERRY, LES CLAYPOOL, BILLY F. GIBBONS, LIBBY GRACE HACKFORD, TÖÔRNST HÜLPFT, MIKE KERR, STELLA MOGZAWA, JAKE SHEARS, MATT SWEENEY

OUT OCTOBER 25 ON MATADOR RECORDS
PRE-ORDERS LIVE NOW

“One of the project’s most impressive lineup of players”  —THE NEW YORK TIMES

Ending a 16-year hiatus since its last installment, the most mythical, longest running rock n roll mixtape odyssey in existence, Desert Sessions will return this October with the most ambitious entries yet in its expansive and elusive catalog: Vols. 11 & 12 (a/k/a respectively as Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels) will be released October 25th on Matador Records. A limited edition first vinyl pressing will include a one of a kind custom mix & match body swap booklet. Exclusive merchandise bundles are available for pre-order now at: https://desertsessions.ffm.to/vols11and12

Vols. 11 & 12 were recorded mostly in a six-day span in December 2018 at Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, CA, with Queens of the Stone Age founder and Desert Sessions ringleader/producer Joshua Homme enlisting a cast of players including:

Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint)
Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters)
Mike Kerr (Royal Blood)
Carla Azar (Autolux, Jack White)
Les Claypool (Primus)
Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf, Endless Boogie)
Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, Toast of London)
Libby Grace
Töôrnst Hülpft

The results are eight new songs that embody the legacy of freedom from expectations and inhibitions that stretches back to 1997, when Homme led a first retreat to the Joshua Tree desert. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends—isolated from daily distractions and comforts—has since become a possibly infinite body of work. Now spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades (and a total of two documented live performances), The Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons—past players have included Polly Harvey, Mark Lanegan, Josh Freese, Dean Ween, among many others—deliberately removing themselves from their comfort zones and working together to create some of their most relaxed yet challenging work.

For a glimpse into the various players’ reactions to the completed work, check out a Liam Lynch-directed exclusive video interview with Homme at: https://desertsessions.ffm.to/voicemails.

The tracklist for Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12 (a/k/a Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels) is:

Move Together (lead vocal: Billy F. Gibbons)
Noses in Roses Forever (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
Far East for the Trees
If You Run (lead vocal: Libby Grace)
Crucifire (lead vocal: Mike Kerr)
Chic Tweetz (vocals: Töôrnst Hülpft, Matt Berry)
Something You Can’t See (lead vocal: Jake Shears)
Easier Said Than Done (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)