Sarah Shook Announces New Pete Anderson-Produced “Nightroamer”

photo: Chad Cochran

Look alive boys and girls, because word just came down about what will be one of the most anticipated albums in independent country in 2022. The punk-infused and honky-tonk heavy outfit from North Carolina called Sarah Shook and the Disarmers have let it be known that February 18th will be the delivery date for their highly-anticipated 3rd album called Nightroamer.

Produced by long-time Dwight Yoakam producer and guitar player Pete Anderson, Nightroamer is said to be a slightly more expansive work compared to Sarah Shook’s previous albums. It also brings Shook full circle in some respects, since one of her early signature songs is called “Dwight Yoakam.”

“I think this record is different than ones we’ve done in the past,” she says. “It feels every bit as expansive as I wanted it to feel. I didn’t want there to be a shocking, jarring difference, but I definitely wanted it to feel like things are opening up. It’s a bigger feeling experience.”

Joining Shook on the album will be the nucleus of the Disarmers, which is Aaron Oliva on bass, and Sarah’s long-time right hand man, guitarist Eric Petersen who celebrated 11 years of playing with Shook this Halloween. Well-regarded steel player Adam “Ditch” Kurtz known for his work with American Aquarium and Joshua Ray Walker is also listed as a member of The Disarmers, with steel guitarist Phil Sullivan playing on the new record, as well as Skip Edwards on Organ.

“After the initial writing is done, it’s all collaborative with the band,” Shook says. “There’s no hierarchy. I think that’s part of what gives us a little bit of magic: We all have deep admiration for each other.”

The album comes after some delay due to The Disarmers being swept up in the recent disillusion of Bloodshot Records. Luckily, Thirty Tigers was there to sweep in and sign the band, seeing them for what they are, which is one of the premier bands in independent country that deserves support behind them.

As for what you can expect from Nightroamer, Sarah Shook says, “Where is the handbook for relationships that isn’t just how to keep your man around for 20 years? Where is the offbeat situational relationship handbook? I feel like a lot of what I write is that––and most of the time, I don’t have the answers. I’m just asking the questions that we’re all asking.”

Sarah Shook might seem like she is as lost as the rest of us. But beyond her music, she has been able to find the balance of being an individual in the public eye who can share advice and opinions without coming across as judgy or preachy—something may performers struggle with these days. Hard fought wisdom underpins the Sarah Shook and the Disarmers experience.

“When I talk about mental health issues, recovery, and addiction, it’s because I feel like life is too short to keep the good things we learn along the way to ourselves,” Shook says. “I think we each have a responsibility to share information that can transform lives in a literal, palpable sense.”

The last time Sarah Shook released an album (2018’s Years), it became the Saving Country Music Album of the Year. That would make Nightroamer one to make sure it’s on your radar. Her magnificent aptitude for fetching melodies brought to stories from the failing side of life satisfies a deep appetite for music we never knew we had until she came along, and leaves one memorably more fulfilled than your ordinary music experience to the point of being deemed essential.

Nightroamer is now available for pre-order.


TRACK LIST:

1. Somebody Else
2. Been Lovin’ You
3. If It’s Poison
4. No Mistakes
5. Nightroamer
6. It Doesn’t Change Anything
7. Please Be a Stranger
8. I Got This
9. Believer
10. Talkin’ To Myself

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