New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Fray have announced their first collection of new music in a decade, The Fray Is Back, set for release on September 27. The EP marks the start of a new era for the 4-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum, Colorado-bred band, with vocalist/guitarist and primary songwriter Joe King taking over lead vocal duties alongside longtime guitarist Dave Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki. Named after a joyful declaration shouted out by a fan at a recent live show, The Fray Is Back echoes their newly revitalized creative energy and growth since their 2005 4x platinum debut album How To Save A Life, declared one of the best-selling digital debuts of all time. The Fray Is Back is the band's first multi-song release since their 2014 album Helios.
"I was under the belief that if you go away, people will forget about you," says King. "When we decided to go on indefinite hiatus back in 2016, essentially ending the band, I actually came to peace with it, for a while at least, because of how lucky we were to even experience writing, recording, and playing our music for fourteen years all over the globe. What I didn't anticipate was that our music would live on, and perhaps I underestimated how our songs have become woven within the stories of millions, and no one forgets their story. I think life sometimes gives you a difficult gift, and the band hiatus was just that."
"We didn't start out with any definitive expectations for this new material," King continues. "We were just sharing ideas with each other and going on our own journey with the songs, and it became a unifying force that gave us new purpose and direction."
Co-produced by The Fray with Andrew DeRoberts (Fitz and the Tantrums, Zac Brown Band), Ryan Linvill (Conan Gray, Chappell Roan), and Joe London (Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman), the EP marks the first time that King - the band's longtime main songwriter - has sung lead for his own deeply introspective lyrics. From the EP opener "Angeleno Moon," which strikes a potent balance of dreamy nostalgia and forward-looking urgency, to the piano-driven closer "Known You Always," a reflection on the way certain people leave an indelible imprint on our lives, each song uncovers entirely new dimensions of The Fray's artistry as they embark on a bold new chapter.
"There's no way for us to make the first album again, because we're not the same people anymore—so much time has passed, and so much life has been lived," says Wysocki. "But what we can do is stay open and keep paying attention to the world around us, and hopefully create something meaningful for all the people who care about this band as much as we do."
With the announcement, The Fray have released their lead single "Time Well Wasted," which finds the band wistfully reminiscing on the past while embracing the promise of the future.
Also today, The Fray announced a US headline tour, kicking off in Washington DC on September 27 before stops in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Nashville and more. In addition to King, Welsh and Wysocki, the performances will also feature musicians Kai Welch on keys and Dane Poppin on bass guitar. Please find all announced tour dates below and via https://thefray.com/.
"In the fall, we'll head out and play some smaller, more intimate venues for the first time in a while," says Welsh. "We've gone through some changes and came out the other side. I'll venture to say that a lot of our fans have, too. For us, to be able to pick up the conversation where we left off is an unbelievable honor—and the opportunity to start a new conversation is something you just can't take for granted, too."
"THE FRAY IS BACK" 2024 Tour Dates: September 27 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre September 28 - Bensalem, PA - Parx Casino September 30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
October 1 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
October 3 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
October 4 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theater
October 7 - Dallas, TX - The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
October 9 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
October 10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether
October 12 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall
October 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Grand Room at The Complex
October 17 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
October 18 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
October 20 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
The Fray Is Back EP tracklisting:
Angeleno Moon
Same Thing
Not Now
Don't Look Down
Time Well Wasted
Known You Always
When The Fray first burst onto the scene in the early aughts, the Colorado-bred band introduced the world to a profoundly life-affirming form of alt-rock: timeless but inventive, arena-sized in scope but firmly rooted in raw emotion. Over the coming years, their soul-searching songwriting and high-powered sound led to earning four Grammy Award nominations, scoring a multitude of Billboard top 10 hits, and amassing a passionately devoted worldwide fanbase. Their single "How To Save A Life" spent a staggering 58 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the "unofficial theme song" for Grey's Anatomy. Rolling Stone praised their "stick-in-your-head hooks and eloquent narratives," while the LA Times called their music "melodically rich." The Fray's debut album How To Save A Life (2005) is certified 4x platinum in the US and has been declared one of the best-selling digital debuts of all time.
