OMG it’s the first day of November and that means that we are officially coming to a close on the year-long lead-up to my Lava Bangers II solo album. I’ve had an absolute blast sharing two tracks a month with you and giving you a sneak peak at all of these 20 heaters before the official album drops worldwide on November 11th. It’s been a hell of a year. I’m so stoked to present you with “On the Sparrow / Maggie Valley.” Here’s the ever-crazy artwork from my man Andy McAlpine.

“On the Sparrow” is the penultimate track from the project, and I really wanted to slow things down a bit and get introspective before wrapping things up. It’s got a very gospel feel to it, and I named it “On the Sparrow” because of so many memories I have as a kid listening to gospel singer Larnelle Harris’ “His Eye is on the Sparrow” with my dad. This song also continues my “On the..” song title tradition from the past three solo albums (Luther’s “On the Mountain,” Penelope’s “On the Lawn,” and Cameron’s “On the Mend”), for all of those die-hard heads out there that still pay attention to song titles. It’s one of my favorite tracks from the project and it still gives me chills every time when the drums drop in.

“Maggie Valley” was the final beat I made for this, about exactly one year ago, as I was returning from an epic and inspiring family trip in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It’s one of my favorite places in the entire world and really just feels like pure magic every time I’ve ever been there. I knew I needed one more track to close out the album with a bang, and this song just sort of poured out of me the day I got back home to Minneapolis. It felt like the perfect way to encompass all the vibes of the entire album into one final banger.

And with that, I give you Lava Bangers II. I’m so extremely proud of this one, and absolutely could not have finished it without the help and friendship of my dear pals Joe Mabbott (mixing), Bruce Templeton (mastering), and Andy McAlpine (art and design). Those are my dawgs for life. I hope you enjoy getting to bang this thing front-to-back for the next 10 days before the official public release on November 11th. Thanks for sticking with me, it’s been a true joy to pull back the curtain for you each month this year. Now go have a frickin amazing end of 2022! LAVA BANGERS 4 LYFE.

Love,
Beak