Collective Soul Revisit New Wave Genre With Latest LP

At first, it is shocking to listen to that Collective Soul has made a brand new album, channeling the spirits of recent wave music as an inspiration.

However whenever you begin to consider the Atlanta group’s personal radio hits they started logging within the ’90s at each various and rock radio, the indicators are proper there. It begins to makes extra sense how they arrived at Contact and Go, their thirteenth studio album, which will probably be launched on Saturday (April 18) as a part of File Retailer Day.

You hear it prominently with tracks like “Gel” from their 1995 self-titled album and even maybe inside “Shine,” their 1994 breakout single. Whereas the latter sounds extra like an enormous ’70s rock anthem at occasions on the floor, it is not laborious to additionally hint it again to the quirkier aspect of the ’80s, structurally, from an association standpoint.

Frontman and songwriter Ed Roland is fast to agree with a minimum of half of that speculation. “‘Gel’ mainly got here from the Vehicles’ ‘Sweet-O’ again once I was studying to play that,” he confirms. “I used to be like, okay, cool rhythm. Let’s simply manipulate that.”

Take heed to ‘Sweet-O’ by the Vehicles

The Boston new wave group looms massive within the non secular DNA of the songs on Contact and Go. A lot in order that followers could have enjoyable choosing out sure guitar strains, keyboard stabs and vocal callbacks that exist as Easter eggs that rapidly register as acquainted ear sweet as you are listening via the album.

Whereas the album title is a direct homage to the band, identified for his or her hits like “Simply What I Wanted,” “My Finest Pal’s Lady,” “Good Occasions Roll” and lots of others, it makes you marvel if Collective Soul truly went so far as recording covers of any of these well-known songs. “No, I feel we’re masking them sufficient,” Roland laughs. “We had been pushing it, to be sincere with you.”

READ MORE: Prime 10 Vehicles Songs

The Inspiration Behind the ‘Contact and Go’ Album

“We made a piano document two or three years in the past. Then we went and made a double album and we put the piano document on maintain. Then we made a rock document that we placed on maintain,” Roland explains. “I made a decision I wished to do one thing new wave, simply to do one thing completely different. And the fellows had been like, ‘Let’s try this.’ I felt it simply had a bit of extra pleasure, with the vibe of what we wished to do, as an alternative of simply doing the identical factor time and again.”

“I grew up in that period the place you had the Vehicles, Eurythmics, even solo artists like Paul Younger,” he provides. “It was simply enjoyable to listen to the melodies. After which, alongside comes the Cult and so they put a bit of rock in there. I do not contemplate them new wave, however they had been on the fringe of it. [With] Demise Cult, as they had been referred to as in the beginning, they only began placing some cool guitar riffs in there. That is sort of what we based mostly all of it off of [with our] information.”

Low cost Trick and XTC Had been Essential Inspirations

It is smart that Contact and Go is arriving first as a particular launch for File Retailer Day, full with a bonus poster that comes with the LP. Roland stays, at coronary heart, a diehard music fan similar to all of us.

He nonetheless enjoys the musical intricacies that reveal themselves as you proceed to take heed to your favourite albums. He calls out Low cost Trick and the Beatles as two bands that he loved inspecting at shut vary early on.

“You’ll be able to name them quirky sounds, however they had been melodies,” he shares, when contemplating how pop songs advanced to energy pop and ultimately, what we got here to know as new wave. “It simply sort of intertwined all the time and it was enjoyable to take heed to, as a result of I am extra of a melodic man.”

“I received the idea of [Collective Soul’s] ‘December’ from XTC, [because] they had been enjoying the identical riff time and again for 4 minutes. However Andy [Partridge] saved you [with songs like] ‘No Language in Our Lungs.'”

Take heed to XTC’s ‘No Language in Our Lungs’

“It was simply the identical chord development,” he continues. “I used to be like, that’s so ingenious and so cool and in addition, not inspiring…..but it surely’s not as straightforward because it sounds to maintain that chord development happening for 4 minutes after which guarantee that the viewers stays enthusiastic about these 4 chords.”

What’s Forward for Collective Soul

Contact and Go will get a basic launch after File Retailer Day. Roland says followers can sit up for it arriving on digital and different codecs someday this summer time. In a well-known twist, he is already wanting down the street to get the subsequent album wrapped up and it is the “rock document” that he talked about in the beginning of our chat that can discover its means out into the world.

READ MORE: Basic Rock Releases Set for File Retailer Day 2026

“I am gonna attempt to get it combined. We have a few weeks off in Could, so I am gonna attempt to get [it done] then earlier than we return on the street for the remainder of the summer time and simply keep forward of the sport.”

Within the meantime, followers also can get pleasure from Give Me a Phrase, the documentary concerning the group which arrived final 12 months — and the group has loads of reveals arising as nicely, as you may see beneath.

It is essential to notice in relation to that final merchandise, they’re nonetheless having enjoyable. “We’re not going okay, get on the bus. We gotta go to the subsequent present. We sit there and luxuriate in it,” Roland shares. “Generally I’ve to have constructive criticism. What can we do higher? As a result of we do not manipulate our sounds. We’re an actual band and we’ll at all times keep that means. I refuse to make use of loops or tapes. I am simply not going to be that man and neither is the band. We do not wish to.”

Watch the ‘Give Me a Phrase’ Movie Trailer

Collective Soul, 2026 Tour Dates

Fri 4/24 Orlando, FL Laborious Rock Stay Orlando
Sat 4/25 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theatre
Tue 4/28 Greenville, SC Peace Middle Live performance Corridor
Wed 4/29 Dothan, AL Dothan Civic Middle
Fri 5/1 Baton Rouge, LA L’Auberge Baton Rouge On line casino Resort
Sat 5/2 Bossier Metropolis, LA Margaritaville Resort and On line casino
Fri 5/22 Portsmouth, VA Rivers On line casino Portsmouth – The Occasion Middle
Fri 6/5 Ludington, MI Stix
Fri 7/3 Lake Charles, LA Golden Nugget Lake Charles Resort & On line casino
Sat 7/11 Morton, MN Jackpot Junction On line casino Resort
Thu 7/23 Grover Hill, OH Wetzel Motorbike Rally
Fri 7/24 West Bend, WI Washington County Truthful Park
Sat 7/25 Menahga, MN Mid Summer season Music Fest
Fri 7/31 Regina, SK. Conexus Arts Centre
Fri 8/7 Tillamook, OR Tillamook County Fairgrounds
Solar 8/16 Winnipeg, MB. Burton Cummings Theatre Occasion
Sat 8/22 Cohasset, MA South Shore Music Circus
Tue 8/25 Derry, NH Tupelo Music Corridor
Wed 8/26 Hyannis, MA Melody Tent
Sat 8/29 Atlantic Metropolis, NJ Ocean On line casino Resort
Solar 8/30 Selbyville, DE Freeman Arts Pavilion