'Captain' Kirk Douglas Announces New Album 'New Unknown'

Longtime guitarist for The Roots, "Captain" Kirk Douglas announces his upcoming solo album, New Unknown out November 4th. He also releases his second single of the year, "Over The Ocean," under the moniker Hundred Watt Heart.

Captain Kirk Douglas might spend his days as the guitarist for one of the most prolific modern hip hop groups around, but the Hundred Watt Heart sound siphons elements from 60's psychedelic rock and Afrobeat, and more. New Unknown is primed to be a culmination of influences, that uniquely pin Kirk as a frontman in his own right.

"Over The Ocean," opens with powerful guitar riffs and rush of distortion buzzes underneath emotive vocals, Reaching the crest of the wave, his voice rings out on the chorus, "I'm trying to keep my head above the ocean."

"It's a groove-heavy rock song where the guitar takes up more sonic real estate,"Kirk says about the track, "It talks about the bombardment of social media and how confusion can happen from it. Of course, we can all be connected through social media, but it can also distort reality. I've had so many conversations with people my age about the beauty of time before all of it. It's important to maintain a part of your life that's not social media-centric."

He kicked off this year's solo endeavors with, "We Can Be One,"which features a wah-pedal drenched funk riff, simmering beat, and boisterous horn section alongside a trippy music video directed by Alexander Fischetti. American Songwriter called the single "soul-shaking," while WXPN raved "we can be assured [the album is] something to look forward to." Guitar World possibly captured Hundred Watt Heart the best, "Captain Kirk Douglas has never been one to go by the book."

Audiences worldwide recognize "Captain" Kirk Douglas's scorching singular style as a six-string powerhouse. Joining The Roots back in 2003, he has supplied guitar and background vocals for a series of critically acclaimed Top 10 albums on the Billboard Top 200, including The Tipping Point [2004], Game Theory [2006], Rising Down [2008], How I Got Over [2010], and Wake Up! [2010] with John Legend.

The latter garnered a pair of GRAMMY® Awards, namely "Best R&B Album" and "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance" for "Hang On In There." In addition, his guitar powered The Roots's tastemaker-approved ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin in 2014. Between countless sold-out live shows, he holds down guitar duties for the band nightly on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

He also notably forces with Gibson Guitars to release his own signature SG model. Inciting widespread applause, Guitar Player has celebrated Kirk's "blazing fretboard work," and American Songwriter noted, "His wild, bending solos careen off the staccato, precise drum fills from the group's leader and drummer, Questlove."

Recorded at Electric Ladyland Studios, he dropped his debut Turbulent Times under the moniker Hundred Watt Heart. Of the latter, Rolling Stone applauded his "melodies that range from contemplative, blues-tipped and soulful to raw and raucous."

Now, he kicks off another chapter with his 2022 solo LP. Listen to the new single here: