“Sometimes when you’re young, you blame the crowd around you for all the bad habits you’ve developed,” says Alabama-bred singer/songwriter Early James. “But then the older you get, the more you realize that there’s really no one to blame but yourself.”
That sentiment is explored on James' blistering new single, "Harder to Blame," with the songwriter digging deep into his own psyche. "Holding on to used to be's / Yesterday's bad habits," he sings, "The older I get, the harder you are to blame."
The song is the latest single from Early James' forthcoming album Strange Time to Be Alive, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach for his Easy Eye Sound label, due out August 19. The follow-up to 2020’s Singing for My Supper, the album was recorded over three days at the Easy Eye studio in Nashville with a stellar band including guitarist Tom Bukovac (Willie Nelson), drummer Jay Bellerose (Sharon Van Etten, Allen Toussaint), keyboardist Mike Rojas (Tyler Childers, Yola), and James’ longtime bandmate Adrian Marmolejo on upright bass. Bellerose's heavy, menacing rhythm anchors the dark mood of the track right from the get-go.
“Jay Bellerose was smashing the drums so hard that the engineer wanted to turn it down, but I thought we should just leave it and let it go,” says Auerbach. “There’s a lot of terror in that song, and the way James sings it puts sharp edges all over the place.”
The song arrives with an equally moody video directed Andy M. Hawkes. Watch it below, where you'll also find James' upcoming tour dates—including several dates supporting The Black Keys on their summer tour.
Early James — 2022 Tour Dates
June 24 - Oxford MS - Proud Larry's
June 25 - Jackson, MS - Martin’s
June 26 - Mobile, AL - Callaghan’s
July 8 - Birmingham, AL - Dave's Pub
Aug 24 - West Palm Beach, FL - iThink Amphitheater ***
Aug 25 - Tampa, FL - MidFlorida Credit Union ***
Aug 27 - Atlanta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheater ***
Aug 28 - Huntsville, AL - Huntsville Amphitheater ***
Aug 30 - Charleston, SC - Volvo Stadium ***
Sept 1 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union ***
Sept 3 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center ***
Sept 6 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage ***
Sept 7 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater ***
Sept 9 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center ***
Sept 11 - Roswell, GA - Chattahoochee Nature Center
Sept 15-17 - Nashville, TN - Americana Fest
Oct 2 - Athens, GA - Wildwood Revival Festival
Oct 14 - Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Festival
*** supporting The Black Keys
