Tyler Childers announces new 3-part album 'Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?,' shares 2 tracks

Tyler Childers and his band The Food Stamps have announced a new album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, due September 30 via Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records (pre-order). It’s broken up into three parts — Hallelujah, Jubilee and Joyful Noise — and each part presents the same eight songs in a different fashion. The Hallelujah version features Tyler and his core band playing live in a single room; the Jubilee version brings in strings, horns, backing vocals, dulcimer, mbira, sitar, and more; and details about the Joyful Noise version won’t be revealed until release day. Tyler says:

I grew up Baptist and I was scared to death to go to hell. And a lot of that stuck with me. Filtering through that and trying to find the truth, and the beauty, and the things you should think about and expelling all that nonsense has been something I’ve spent a lot of time on. This is a collection that came together through those reflections. In a lot of ways, this is processing life experiences in the different philosophies and religions that have formed me, trying to make a comprehensive sonic example of that.

Working with the same song three different ways is a nod to my raising, growing up in a church that believes in the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and what that means. The Father being the root, the place from which everything comes from, and The Son coming to free up some of those things, allowing it to be more open and welcoming. And then you have the Holy Ghost once The Son is gone — that feeling that’s supposed to keep us sustained until we are reunited, in whatever way that looks.

Message wise, I hope that people take that it doesn’t matter race, creed, religion and all of that like — the most important part is to protect your heart, cultivate that and make that something useful for the world.

Along with the announcement comes the Hallelujah and Jubilee versions of “Angel Band,” a sweeping, six-minute dose of country rock and a very promising first taste. Listen to both and watch the Bryan Schlam-directed video for the Jubilee version below.

Tracklist
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’