Oakland band Rogue Wave announced the details of its fourth album, Permalight, to be released March 2 on Brushfire Records. Judging from the new single, “Good Morning,” the new album marks a pretty dramatic departure for the band. Singer Zach Rogue said, “I told Pat [Spurgeon, drummer, keyboardist, vocalist] I wanted to make a total dance album.” Apparently, the new songs feature synthesizers, “club beats,” and a generally more upbeat vibe.
According to the press release, the reason for this stylistic change can be traced to 2008, when singer/songwriter Zach Rogue woke up unable to move — the result of two slipped discs in his neck. After being bedridden for months in excruciating pain, Rogue picked up a guitar and decided he wanted to write music that was totally new. “When I started writing I wanted to make a record that was a little more up, a record you could move your body to because I couldn’t move for so long,” he said.
The album also comes in the wake of several other events for the band: the tragic death of a former bandmate, Spurgeon’s kidney search (the subject of a PBS documentary D-Tour), and fatherhood. The band will unveil the new material at its upcoming Noise Pop appearance on February 24, and at the Fillmore on April 30. The question is, will fans embrace the new sound?
Permalight Tracklisting:
Solitary Gun
Good Morning
Sleepwalker
Stars and Stripes
Permalight
Fear Itself
Right With You
We Will Make A Song Destroy
I’ll Never Leave You
Per Anger
You Have Boarded
All That Remains