The Tragically Hip are kicking off the long weekend with a new album, Saskadelphia.
The Canadian band announced Thursday that the collection of six previously unreleased tracks written in 1990 will be out Friday. Five of the songs were recorded during the Road Apples sessions in New Orleans and the sixth was recorded live in Montreal in 2000.
“We didn't know what was there, so this meant baking them and listening to them as they were being transferred,” said Johnny Fay, in a release. “Hearing them for the first time in 30 years was crazy.”
Saskadelphia was the original working title of Road Apples before it was rejected by the U.S. label as “too Canadian.” It is the first release from the band since frontman Gord Downie lost his battle with brain cancer in 2017.
Of the lead single, The Hips’ Rob Baker said: “I went ‘Wow’ when I heard ‘Ouch’ after all this time. We were a pretty good little band.”
The Tragically Hip will be honoured with the Humanitarian Award on June 6 at the 50th JUNO Awards, where they will perform with Feist at the mic.
Track List
"Ouch"
"Not Necessary"
"Montreal" (Live from The Molson Centre, Montreal, Dec 7th, 2000)
"Crack My Spine Like a Whip"
"Just As Well"
"Reformed Baptist Blues"