Listen to This: Harvest Thieves Let Sparks Fly On New Single “Friendly Fire”

It’s been a while since Harvest Thieves unloaded their excellent alt-country-ripped debut LP Rival.

That album set the band up behind their hard-charging sound and sharp songwriting, making them a staple on the Austin scene. After six years, the sixpiece is finally preparing to release their sophomore effort, As the Sparks Fly Upward, with latest single “Friendly Fire” premiering below.

The band offered a first taste of their new work back in 2019, before the pandemic put the album’s release plan on hold. They instead took the time to regroup in the studio with co-producer Matt Parmenter, and evolve the new lineup behind Cory Reinisch and Annah Fissette. Aside from Dustin Meyer switching from bass to guitar, the band also added Mike Mangalindan on bass, Wes Cargal on drums, and Michael Gibson on guitar.

“I've always been of the mind that in order to write a good story about life, you have to live life. We certainly did that,” offers Reinisch over email about the time between albums. “The band also changed quite a bit since the last record. With the lineup changes, the two years of slowing down because of the pandemic, and with Mike and Annah becoming parents, we had to tap the brakes a bit. [...] However, it did give us an incredible opportunity to solidify the lineup and really dig deep in the studio while we were waiting for life to come back to normal.”

As the Sparks Fly Upward is targeted for release on October 20, and offers a clear-eyed take on the social upheaval cutting across culture. Reinisch doesn’t pull any punches, but the album still offers a sense of hope.

“The title of this album was taken from a Bible verse. Job 5:7 – ‘For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.’ I happen to think there’s a curious rhythm and eloquence in that statement which aligns itself well with what we've lived through in the last half-decade,” explains Reinisch. “It’s the perfect summation of our collective behavior and the clearly unavoidable trouble that we can’t seem to help but make for ourselves. It’s – at the very least – a compelling commentary about our inherent nature.”

The new single “Friendly Fire” officially releases this Thursday, August 16, with a show at Guero’s for Sun Radio’s weekly showcase. The song licks with Harvest Thieves’ classic, guitar-scorched sound of being caught between ruts and restlessness. It stares defiantly past a bottle to the possibility of something better.

“I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy that we’re often our own worst enemy. Not always, but mostly,” Reinisch ponders. “‘Friendly Fire’ is about fulfilling your destiny. It’s about overcoming the obstacles inside and outside of your head, and the concerted effort it takes to do both, often at the same time. In many ways, this song is about growth and achievement in the face of adversity. About finding your own lane in life and not adhering to anyone else’s expectations of who you are or what you should be.

“I think we should be stubborn about that pursuit. This song is about that stubbornness.”

You can check out “Friendly Fire” below, and catch the official release show for As the Sparks Fly Upward at the White Horse on October 20.