The Will To Live

Description

A NEW MAXIMALIST ROCK EPIC! CO-PRODUCED BY HOWARD BILERMAN (ARCADE FIRE, LEONARD COHEN) With their seventh studio album, Titus Andronicus invites us on a journey from fear to faith, anger to acceptance, sorrow to gratitude, in pursuit of the mythical ideal of ultimate rock, hoping to find the will to live. The Will to Live is produced by Patrick Stickles, Titus Andronicus's singer-songwriter, and Canadian icon Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Leonard Cohen, The Whole Nine Yards) at his Hotel 2 Tango studio in Montreal. Drawing inspiration from maximalist rock epics, from Who's Next to Hysteria, Bilerman and Stickles have created a rich, dense, and impactful sound for Titus Andronicus. Patrick Stickles attributes his recent period of personal stability to newfound domestic happiness and consistent attention to his mental health, as well as the stabilization of the band's lineup since A Productive Cough in 2018 and An Obelisk in 2019. The Will to Live features Liam Betson on guitar, R.J. Gordon on bass, and Chris Wilson on drums. The Will to Live was largely created in an attempt to overcome the premature death of Matt 'Money' Miller, the band's founding keyboardist and Patrick's closest cousin, in 2021. This challenge forced him to recognize not only the precious and fragile nature of life, but also the interconnectedness of all life. Lost loved ones are not entirely lost, as they are components of a much larger organism. Recognizing this truth requires showing the same empathy and compassion for all life. Naturally, one can only reach this conclusion at the end of a painful odyssey, through hell itself. This is a Titus Andronicus album, after all... The album features contributions from members of Hold Steady, Arcade Fire, and the E Street Band, as well as duets with Betson, Eric Harm (former Titus Andronicus drummer), and Josée Caron of the Canadian rock band Partner. The artwork is by the illustrious illustrator Nicole Rifkin, a Hieronymus Bosch-inspired triptych that reflects the three-part structure of the narrator's perilous journey.