Hard To Love A Man (Anniversary Reissue)

Description

To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, Magnolia Electric Co.'s Hard to Love a Man EP will be reissued and available for the first time on vinyl in February 2026. This anniversary reissue of the band's first EP includes three bonus tracks: remastered demos of "31 Seasons in the Minor Leagues" (formerly titled "Tonight I'm So Down") and "Lonesome Valley," recorded at Echo Park Studios in Indiana during the Hard to Love a Man sessions, as well as "One Thin Dime," recorded during the Black Ram sessions at Sound of Music Recording Studios in Richmond, Virginia. The term "working-class rock" is often used to describe Magnolia Electric Co. The band has undeniably established itself among icons of the genre such as Bob Seger, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, and this appellation is not limited to a simple aesthetic. Magnolia justifies it through its exemplary work ethic. The Magnolia Electric Co. spent nearly eight months on tour at the end of 2005. This fact is particularly significant for the band members, far from home and their loved ones for such long periods. Hence the importance of the album's eponymous track: when Jason Molina adopts the perspective of the person he left on "Hard To Love A Man," where the loneliness and guilt of separation are painfully palpable. The fragile female voice of Jennie Benford, combined with Jason Groth's expansive guitar and Mike Kapinus's melancholic organ, powerfully reaffirms this feeling. Mark Rice and Pete Schreiner provide their characteristic precise and controlled rhythm section, while Nicole Evans adds a new and dynamic voice. While "Hard To Love A Man" and "Werewolves Of London," a flagship live track, were recorded with Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studios, the other tracks were recorded during a brief five-day stay in his native Indiana, at Echo Park Studios, with Paul Mahern, a sound engineer who has notably worked with The Blake Babies, Lisa Germano, and John Mellencamp.