Shovels & Rope Ready New Album Swimmin’ Time; View The Track List

Shovels & Rope announce Aug. 26 release date for new album Swimmin’ Time

The ring-of-fire chemistry captured on Shovels & Rope’s 2012 debut album, O’ Be Joyful, turned into a river of accolades for husband-and-wife duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, including the No. 3 spot on American Songwriter’s Top 50 Albums of 2012 list — and No. 1 on the Top 50 Songs list for the single “Birmingham.” And now they’re ready to paddle that river again with the August 26 release of Swimmin’ Time on Dualtone Music.

The couple’s energetic mix of country, blues, rock, folk and punk also earned them the Emerging Artist of the Year title at the Americana Music Association’s 2013 Americana Honors & Awards, and “Birmingham” won Song of the Year honors. While they recorded that album — and became a band — as they toured to support their individual efforts, Swimmin’ Time’s 13 originals were tracked at their home studio in Charleston, S.C. Song titles include “The Devil Is All Around,” “Mary Ann & One-Eyed Dan” “After The Storm” and “Ohio.”

Hearst and Trent, who married in 2009, are also making waves as the subject of The Ballad of Shovels & Rope, a documentary about their experiences recording O’ Be Joyful and their road-gypsy touring life. The film, by the Moving Picture Boys, won the Nashville Film Festival’s Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature in April. They also appear in the acclaimed PBS documentary, Nashville 2.0, and made their official Austin City Limits debut in 2013.

They’ve been called “a punkabilly June and Johnny Cash” and their sound has drawn descriptions from “twang ‘n’ bang” to “a helluva beautiful racket.” Hearst also earned notice as the vocalist slinging sexy insults with Hayes Carll in “Another Like You,” the song that topped American Songwriter’s 2011 list; the album it’s on, KMAG YOYO, was the Americana Music Association’s No. 1 album of 2011.

Mississippi-born Hearst, who grew up in Nashville, met Trent, a Texas native raised in Colorado, while he was touring with his previous band, the Films. They also have recorded two solo albums apiece, and Hearst’s song “Hell’s Bells” is on the Grammy-nominated compilation album, True Blood: Music from HBO’s Original Series Volume 3.

 Swimmin’ Time Track List:

“The Devil Is All Around”
“Bridge On Fire”
“Evil”
“After The Storm”
“Fish Assassin”
“Coping Mechanism”
“Pinned”
“Swimmin’ Time”
“Stono River Blues”
“Ohio”
“Mary Ann & One-Eyed Dan”
“Save The World”
“Thresher”