• Gatefold cover
• Skulls pattern inside cover
  
  

The Black Crowes return with Happiness Bastards, their first studio album in a decade, released in 2024. The brothers Robinson continue to mine the rich seam of blues-rock and Southern soul that has defined their career since the late '80s, never beholden to trends or commercial calculation. This record stands as a reaffirmation of their foundational sound—raw, groove-centered, and unapologetically rooted in the lineage of classic rock and R&B.

Tracks like "Bedside Manners" and "Rats And Clowns" immediately establish the album's swagger and melodic clarity, while "Cross Your Fingers" and "Wanting And Waiting" showcase the band's gift for building tension through rhythm and layered vocal textures. "Wilted Rose" and "Dirty Cold Sun" deepen the emotional palette, trading bombast for a more introspective examination of desire, mortality, and the wear of living. The production sits in a sweet spot between tight and lived-in—instruments breathe, harmonies lock without sounding overwrought, and the rhythm section drives with the kind of pocket wisdom that only comes from years of playing together.

This vinyl pressing arrives in a gatefold sleeve featuring interior artwork with a skulls pattern, capturing the record's mood in tangible form. The presentation respects the album without veering into unnecessary flourishes, letting the music remain the focal point.

Tracklist:

A1. Bedside Manners
A2. Rats And Clowns
A3. Cross Your Fingers
A4. Wanting And Waiting
A5. Wilted Rose
B1. Dirty Cold Sun
B2. Bleed It Dry
B3. Flesh Wound
B4. Follow The Moon
B5. Kindred Friend