Indie-rock icon Jonathan Richman will release his 18th solo studio album, Only Frozen Sky Anyway, on July 4. The 12-track collection, which is being issued by the Blue Arrow Records label, will initially be available only digitally. CD and vinyl editions of the album will be released at a later date.
Videos by American Songwriter
Several tracks on Only Frozen Sky Anyway feature Richman reuniting with his former Modern Lovers bandmate Jerry Harrison, who went on to be a longtime member of the Talking Heads.
[RELATED: 4 Killer Jonathan Richman Songs That Are Essential Listens]
Harrison plays keyboards on five songs, including two tracks that have been made available in advance of the album—“I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky” and “O Guitar.” Richman’s longtime drummer and percussionist Tommy Larkins also contributed to many of the tunes. Harrison’s daughter, Aishlin, sings backing vocals on a song titled “But We Might Try Weird Stuff.”
Richman’s wife, Nicole Montalbano, plays tamboura on the album’s final two tracks—“The Wavelet” and “I Am the Sky.”
Only Frozen Sky Anyway also features a reworked version of the Bee Gees’ 1977 disco classic “Night Fever.”
According to a press statement, the album features a thematic thread that focuses on departures and returns. As Richman explains, that theme is present in a track titled “Se Va Pa’volver.”
Jonathan notes, “The song is about how our friends are leaving, in their dying, on an errand, only to return in another role… with another mission. How do I dare say such a thing? Oh…I don’t know.”
Only Frozen Sky Anyway was co-produced by Richman, Harrison, and Montalbano. You can pre-order and find out more details about the album at Richman’s Bandcamp page.
Richman’s 2025 Tour Plans
Richman has announced dates for a fall tour of the U.S. and Canada in support of the upcoming album. The trek kicks off on October 3 in Boise, Idaho, and runs through a November 1 show in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Before the fall outing, Jonathan will play shows on July 2 in Portland, Oregon, and July 31 in Berkeley, California.
Other Richman News
The Blue Arrow label will be releasing several recent Richman albums and EPs via streaming services for the first time. The titled are Jonathan’s three most recent albums, Ishkode! Ishkode! (2016), SA! (2018), and Want to Visit My Inner House? (2021), as well as the EPs Cold Pizza & Other Hot Stuff (2022) and Yatasamaroun (2023). The releases previously only were available for purchase via Bandcamp or at Richman’s concerts.
Richman explained about his recent albums, “Jerry Harrison, Nicole Montalbano and I produced [Want to Visit My Inner House?] as well as SA! To us, the two albums are related in the sense that Want to Visit My Inner House? suggests where SA! was starting to head.”
More About Richman’s Career
Richman led the original Modern Lovers from 1970 to 1974. The influential band featured future Cars members David Robinson on drums. Harrison played keyboards with the group from early 1971 and the band broke up in 1974. Recordings made by The Modern Lovers in 1971 and ’72 weren’t released until 1976.
From 1976 through 1988, Richman recorded and toured with various musicians under the moniker Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.
Only Frozen Sky Anyway Track List:
- “I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky”
- “But We Might Try Weird Stuff”
- “Night Fever”
- “You Need Me Too”
- “The Dog Star”
- “Se Va Pa’volver”
- “That Older Girl”
- “Little Black Bat”
- “O Guitar”
- “David & Goliath”
- “The Wavelet”
- “I Am the Sky”
(Photo by Matt Cowan/Getty Images)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.