Uh-oh. Adam Duritz says Gang of Youths album is “scrapped”?
UPDATE: We asked GOY manager Kurt Bailey about this via an Instagram DM, and he replied this way: “Not scrapped.”
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This doesn’t sound good at all.
Adam Duritz continues to do a lot of press for the new Counting Crows release, Butter Miracle Suite One, and continues to talk about Gang of Youths and his friendship with Dave L. in some of those interviews. We just documented one such mention a few days ago in Forbes, where Duritz mentioned that he sings on the new GOY album.
But a new feature today on Consequence adds more context, and it doesn’t sound good.
In a piece where Duritz talks about 10 of his favorite albums, he sings the praises of Go Farther In Lightness. But he also seems to be saying that Gang of Youths has “scrapped” its new album.
I sang all over the new Gang of Youths record, and then they scrapped it. I’m going to have to go back after the pandemic and sing more.
Yikes. Is he saying they “scrapped” the whole album? Or just the song(s) that he sang on? Could be either, I suppose, but it sure sounds like the “it” he’s referring to is the album, not just some of the songs.
If Duritz’s comments are accurate, they’re in line with rumors we’ve heard recently — i.e., that the band was not seeing eye to eye with Warner Music, its new label, about the direction the new songs were taking. That’s pretty common, especially with new bands on their first “big” record contract. But none of what we’ve heard suggested that the album had been “scrapped” altogether; the band was always going to release something as soon as possible.
On the bright side, Duritz does mention planning to rejoin the band in the studio “after the pandemic.” I don’t know how things are in London, but if they were in a U.S. studio, that could be very soon with the way this country is starting to re-open. Counting Crows is doing a bunch of promotion for its new EP (like Jimmy Kimmel Live last night), so that might also determine when he can get back in the studio to “sing more.”
It’s Friday night in London (where the band and management is based) as I type this, so it’s doubtful we’d be able to get any comment … but it might be a good time soon for the band to send out an update on their progress to reassure the fanbase about all things Gang of Youths.