New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Triple Echo Records) - Bad Lieutenant, the project formed in 2007 by New Order's Bernard Sumner (guitar, vocals) and Phil Cunningham (guitar), along with Jake Evans (guitar, vocals), will see the long-awaited North American release of their debut album, Never Cry Another Tear, on October 6 on their own Triple Echo Records imprint. Initially and for a one week period, the album will be available as a digital download exclusively through Amazon.com; subsequently, for one month beginning October 13, the full, physical CD can be purchased only at Amazon.com. On November 10, Never Cry Another Tear will be distributed to all other retail outlets via a partnership with Original Signal Recordings.
In addition, "Sink or Swim," the first single from Never Cry Another Tear, is now available as a free download for a limited amount of time on Bad Lieutenant's website. "Sink or Swim," along with the new track "Dynamo," will be released as a single on September 28 via digital retailers.
Working with his management and booking agency, Sumner opted to release Never Cry Another Tear through an innovative do-it-yourself system for the digital world. For brick-and-mortar outlets, a more traditional retail and marketing approach will be implemented. Sumner's team has already put into place online social networking, marketing, retail and publicity platforms to build a solid global fan base, digitally connecting Bad Lieutenant directly to its fan base.
Never Cry Another Tear was produced by Sumner and Bad Lieutenant, and features musicians who helped make the legendary New Order a Platinum-selling band and one of the most influential forces over the past three decades in the alt/rock/dance genres. The essence of the new album is crisp, streamlined 21st century guitar music, underscored by keyboards and occasional melodica, and the distinct vocals and guitar work of Evans.
"This album is very important to me," says Sumner. "We've worked hard on it and I'm proud of it. It's also important because it gives people the chance to hear a gifted new singer and guitar player who I think is really talented."
Together, the band has spent over a year writing, recording and mixing the album in the U.K. which also features bassist Alex James (Blur) and drummer Stephen Morris (New Order and Joy Division) on several of the tracks. Bad Lieutenant, which plans to tour to support the new album, will include Morris on drums and Tom Chapman on bass. Three U.K. shows have just been announced - October 20/Brighton, October 21/London, October 22/Manchester, with North American dates on the horizon.
"There is some continuity to the music I've made in the past," adds Sumner. "But this is very different - because different people are playing on it. This is just how I now want to make music - it feels right to me and I hope at least a few other people feel the same."
New Order, born from the ashes of the near-mythic English band Joy Division, was one of the most innovative and critically-acclaimed bands of the 1980s, embracing the electronic textures and dance rhythms of the underground club culture while maintaining a mysterious and distant image. The group's pioneering fusion of modern aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of pop. Between 1981 and 2005, New Order released eight studio albums, sold millions of albums worldwide and amassed Gold and Platinum awards. In addition, the band's single "Blue Monday" bears the distinction of being the biggest-selling 12-inch of all time, having sold in excess of 3 million copies.
