MORTAL PROPHETS – “ME AND THE DEVIL”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PREMIERE
Following the release of their sonically expansive debut EP, Stomp the Devil, NYC’s The Mortal Prophets (led by John Beckmann) return with the announcement of their forthcoming debut LP, Me and the Devil, out December 9. On the record, Beckmann joined forces with Irish musician and producer William Declan Lucey (Rubyhorse, Leftbank), with whom he developed the record’s atmospheric, noisy sound. Additionally, it features collaborations with Morphine’s Dana Colley, vocalist Aoibheann Carey-Philpott, and more, making this record a practice in masterclass musicianship.
The bold, shape-shifting songbook of Me and the Devil is a softer, more poetic record reflecting Beckmann’s love of everything from primitive blues to the raucous punk of Suicide to the ethereal ambient sequences of German electronica. To introduce the record’s eclectic and atmospheric sound, the band is sharing the record’s first single, the title track “Me and the Devil,” tomorrow.
As Beckmann described of the sonic inspirations behind the LP and its title track:
“‘Me and the Devil’ sets the stage for the music that follows on the album. I’m a huge fan of early Delta blues, and certainly Robert Johnson, so the first two songs on the album are a tribute to him, other songs are by Big Joe Williams, Blind Willie Johnson, Charley Patton, Lead Belly, Son House, and Blind Willie Johnson, all equally influential for me. ‘Jesus is Coming’ is especially prescient, as it’s a song about the Spanish flu, and predates Covid by 100 years.
These songs are the essence of America’s primal scream, they are chilling, and profound in their austere beauty and directness, they are so full of tragedy and hope, lost loves, and personal and societal struggles, not much has changed in a hundred years. They are all songs that I find deeply moving and poignant. My versions are not covers, in the true sense; they are contemporary reinterpretations, it’s a poetic attempt that hopefully, people will appreciate, and I’m very proud of it.”
The Mortal Prophets’ Me and the Devil is out this December via all DSPs. For now, the record’s title track, “Me and the Devil,” is out tomorrow.
Mortal Prophets
Me and the Devil
(Independent)
Release Date: December 9, 2022
Artist Links
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: MORTAL PROPHETS – “SLEEPING IN MY BED”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: MORTAL PROPHETS – “DEALEY PLAZA BLUES”
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: MORTAL PROPHETS – STOMP THE DEVIL
