Independent music mainstays Shannon & The Clams are known for their feel-good, vintage-infused, garage-psych sound. Their sonics go from black and white to technicolor on their forthcoming new album, The Moon Is In the Wrong Place, produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Faced with the unimaginable sudden loss of singer-bassist Shannon Shaw’s fiancé, Joe Haener, in a car accident weeks leading up to their wedding, the project is a holistic exploration of grief and celebration of life coupled with the most expansive, exciting songs and arrangements of their celebrated catalog.
Shaw’s bandmates, guitarist Cody Blanchard, keyboard player Will Sprott, and drummer Nate Mahan, rallied behind her to create their most ambitious, emotionally searing work to date. The title is drawn from a conversation in which Haener, an astrology novice, attempted to ask if Mercury was in retrograde. This ominous precognitive statement became the basis for the record.
The Moon Is In the Wrong Place marks Shannon & The Clams’ 7th studio album together and showcases their 15+ years of tight-knit collaboration.