The Afghan Whigs on ‘How Do You Burn?’: “This album was an escape”

nme.com:

The Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli has spoken to NME about his band’s new album ‘How Do You Burn?’, which features contributions from his late friend and collaborator Mark Lanegan.Work on the Whigs’ ninth studio album, which arrived on Friday (September 9), began in 2020 after COVID-19 curtailed Dulli’s plans to tour his solo record ‘Random Desire’.Forced to record much of the record remotely, Dulli, guitarist/co-producer Christopher Thorn and drummer Patrick Keeler formed a bubble together in California, while bassist John Curley, guitarist Jon Skibic and keyboardist/strings player Rick G.

Nelson laid down their parts in Cincinnati, New Jersey and New Orleans respectively.“Most of the records I do are reactions to the one before it, so the solo record was more of a muted affair [while] I went in the opposite direction for ‘How Do You Burn?’,”  Dulli told NME about the latter’s grandiose, energetic sound.“Luckily, Patrick, Christopher and I live in California so I was able to play live with them, [which] gave the record the immediacy I think it has.

There was so much uncertainty, hopelessness, fear and confusion in the world that I was working on songs to transport me to another reality, so I really feel like this album was an escape.”‘How Do You Burn?’ is the Whigs’ first new album in five years, and the third they’ve recorded since reforming in 2012.

Asked by NME for his favourite track on the album, Dulli pinpointed the soulful ‘Please, Baby, Please’.“That song came about by accident, and it just wrote itself,” the frontman said. “It was what I refer to as a ‘get out of my way song’, because it’s coming whether you want it to or not.