David Newbould is a lifer. Since kickstarting his career in 2007, he's made his mark as a heartland roots-rocker, Americana artist, and amplified folksinger, writing songs that chart the ups and downs of an adulthood often spent onstage and on the road. He turns a new page with his fourth full-length studio album, Power Up!, a record whose messages of persistence and unshakeable survival are driven forward by the grease, grit, and guitar-driven swagger of rock & roll. Recorded with producer/collaborator Scot Sax (Wanderlust) during a global pandemic that brought both musicians' schedules to a halt, Power Up! Is an album for the modern moment. These are songs about taking stock of the present, counting one's blessings, and putting one foot in front of the other. Newbould recorded the tracks in a makeshift basement studio in Sax's Nashville home, with the two musicians separated by a pane of glass for health's sake. Sax played drums, bass, and other instruments, while Newbould handled lead guitar and vocal duties. They worked together as a self-contained unit, only reaching out to friends like Newbould's live band and Americana Music Award-winning violinist Kristin Weber (who contributed to the album's cover of Crystal Gayle's "Ready for the Times to Get Better") for guest appearances. Steadily, Power Up! #took shape during six months of quarantined recording sessions. "We both love albums from the 1970s, when artists had total freedom in the studio and were pushing boundaries, experimenting with sounds, and having fun," says Newbould. "That's the vibe we achieved with this album, too. It's a basement rock & roll record. Some guitar solos have mistakes in them, but they have a vibe, too, so we kept them. Some drum tracks were recorded with an iPhone. We didn't get too precious with it." "Fidelity is an interesting thing," he continues. "You want your album to sound sweet, but you can get diminishing returns if you try to get more than what's there. We were in a garage. We maxed out what we had and it felt just right to me - and honest. There are a million records out there. The only way you can connect with anyone who hears it is by being as you as you can be. We were just doing what we had to do to make an album during a crazy time, between homeschooling our kids, supporting our wives, and keeping ourselves from going crazy." The result, he says, is an album that's "dirtier-sounding than much of what I've put out. It feels like a garage to me. There's not a whole lot of daylight?to it."
Release date:
June 10, 2022
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Revocation New Gods, New Masters
Metal Blade
September 26, 2025 -
Eve Adams American Dust
Basin Rock
September 5, 2025 -
Shad Start Anew
Secret City Records
October 31, 2025 -
Lucrecia Dalt A Danger to Ourselves
Rvng Int'l
September 5, 2025 -
Patrick Shiroishi Forgetting is Violent
American Dreams Records
September 19, 2025 -
Cardi B AM I THE DRAMA? (Apple)
Atlantic
September 19, 2025 -
Thin Lizzy Live And Dangerous (Metallic Silver) [2xLP]
Friday Music Two
October 31, 2025 -
The London Suede Antidepressants
Bmg
September 5, 2025 -
Strange Boutique Let The Lonely Heart Sing (Transparent Marbled Turquoise & Black)
The Circle Music
August 8, 2025 -
Before The Dawn Cold Flare Eternal (Blue Splatter)
Reaper Entertainment
September 5, 2025 -
Gruff Rhys Dim Probs
Rock Action Records
September 26, 2025 -
Arm's Length There's A Whole World Out There
Pure Noise Records
August 8, 2025 -
As December Falls Everything's On Fire But I'm Fine (Red Marble)
As December Falls
August 15, 2025 -
Billianne Modes of Transportation
No Wonder Inc.
August 15, 2025