After a full year stuck in manufacturing limbo (caused by a perfect storm of a global vinyl shortage, Brexit, covid and the war in Ukraine affecting the Polish pressing plant, which was already labouring from over demand/under capacity) – Dean Owens is delighted to announce the vinyl release date of his very highly praised Sinner’s Shrine album on 29th July.
Recorded in Tucson, AZ, with members of desert noir/Latin rock icons Calexico, the album has received glowing international reviews, including from France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, USA and UK.
And a thing of beauty it is! The 11-track album is manufactured on “Tucson blue” turquoise vinyl, with a gatefold sleeve, showcasing the stunning bespoke artwork by Luisa Carmela Casasanta and design by James Morrison.
The music is a rich fusion of Dean’s Scottish roots and the lush, swirling desert sounds of Calexico, with each song creating its own world, with stories of sinners and saints, love and lust, the displaced, the wanderers and the border ghosts. Many listeners and reviewers have described it as a “perfect collaboration” and “a marriage made in heaven”, which has produced something unique – a wonderful melange of mariachi Latin rock and sounds from Scotland’s post-industrial heartlands.
The songs on Sinner’s Shrine are the sound of one of Scotland’s leading songwriters pushing his own boundaries; the lyrics are sometimes impressionistic, but with universal stories, emotion, and a hooky chorus, at their heart.
To mark the occasion, Dean is releasing a new video/single, Arizona, the opening track on the album. The video (created by regular collaborator Ruth Barrie (Waltzer Films)) is a road trip through Dean’s favourite US state, with wide, sweeping birds’ eye views of some of its most memorable landmarks, including the Painted Desert, Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley, with giant Saguaro cacti and prickly pears punctuating the desert landscape, to intimate shots of the Sinner’s Shrine in downtown Tucson.
Dean Owens: ”I’m absolutely delighted to see this record coming out on vinyl. It’s what the beautiful artwork serves. And who doesn’t like a bit of turquoise-coloured vinyl?!
“I’ve been completely blown away by the reaction to this album so far, with what are probably the best reviews of my career.
“I had to sit on it for so long because of the pandemic, and it’s lovely that it’s finally getting a full release. Recording in Tucson with the guys from Calexico was a very special time and I’m very proud of what we produced together. It’s great that other people seem to like it too. I’m looking forward to touring these songs with my band, the Sinners, including upcoming dates in Scotland and Netherlands, and other European dates in 2023.”
Sinner’s Shrine is a joint release on London’s Eel Pie Records and Continental Record services (Netherlands).
Dean Owens has plenty of upcoming shows, details of which can be found here: https://www.deanowens.com/