Lydia Loveless New Album, REAL Streaming Exclusively via NPR First Listen

Real, the highly anticipated new album from Lydia Loveless-out August 19 on Bloodshot Records-is exclusively streaming now via NPR First Listen. Of the album NPR Music says, "By finessing her musical ideas and illustrating how she processes prickly emotions, she's created a rich alternate reality." Listen to the stream here: http://n.pr/2aOFmyt. In support of the release, Loveless confirms additional dates this fall extending her ongoing North American tour with stops in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago and more. See below for complete tour dates.

Most recently, Loveless' single "Same To You" premiered on The Fader, calling it "...a thunderous rumination on unreachable romantic stability." Also, the video for her track "Longer" premiered on Rolling Stone Country, who declared it, "an assault of crunchy power-pop, but behind the confident swagger are the tinge-and twang-of vulnerability," while "Longer" premiered on Stereogum, who proclaimed, "It's like the Replacements soundtracking the sad aftermath of Big Star's 'Thirteen'-which is to say, it's awesome."

Real was recorded at Sonic Lounge Studios in her home state of Ohio and was engineered and produced by Joe Viers (Dr. John). "I chose to work with Joe Viers, engineer and producer of my last three releases, again because I trust him completely not only with my music but with my words," said Loveless. "There was a lot to say this time around and I wanted to return to that sort of playground and (sometimes literally) throw things at the wall. Whereas our previous records could be described as blunt or raw, this one I wanted to be known as honest, as true, as real (rimshot)."

Of the album Loveless says, "Because I feel like I spent my formative years flopping around like a fish, masking pain with substance abuse and somewhat ashamed of who I was-a hayseed, a phony, I felt-it was absolutely necessary for me to become a stronger, more confident human, or I was going to die. Real is my sort of love letter to that realization, that my existence was just as valid as any other."

Loveless is joined on the album by Todd May (vocals, guitars, keys), Ben Lamb (bass), Jay Gasper (guitars, pedal steel, keys), George Hondroulis (drums, percussion, keys), Andy Harrison (guitar, keys) and Viers (percussion, guitar).

In 2011 Loveless released her second full-length album, Indestructible Machine, about which The Chicago Tribune says, "she conveys toughness, tenderness and humor with off-handed conviction." Two years after the critical success of her breakout second record, Loveless released Somewhere Else. On Somewhere Else Loveless is less concerned with chasing approval-she scrapped an entire album's worth of material-and more focused on fighting personal battles of longing, heartbreak and the aesthetic that comes along with them.

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