For as long as they've been together, Bask have called Asheville, North Carolina home. But ever since they came rumbling down from the Land of the Sky, it was clear that these Southern trailblazers were cut from a different neck of the woods. On their upcoming fourth album, the band take Heavy Americana to a whole new dimension. The latest single from The Turning revolves around "The Traveler", a mysteriously ageless gunslinger who refuses to go down amidst a mind-melting blaze of glory.
"This song introduces one of the main characters behind our new album", Bask says. "You're sure to be banging your head, just in 9/4".
Watch the surreal video for "The Traveler" below.
The Turning comes out next Friday, August 22, 2025 on Season of Mist.
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https://orcd.co/basktheturning
To kick off this heavy and heady new frontier, Bask are touring the East Coast next week. Hear them perform songs from The Turning during the album's first trip out on the road.
The Turning 2025 East Coast Tour
August 20 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 [TICKETS]
August 21 - Savannah, GA @ El Rocko [TICKETS]
August 22 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel [TICKETS]
August 23 - Raleigh, NC @ Chapel of Bones [TICKETS]
August 24 - Richmond, VA @ Fuzzy Cactus [TICKETS]
August 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy [TICKETS]
August 28 - Searsport, ME @ Starboard Lounge [TICKETS]
August 29 - Providence, RI @ Parlour [TICKETS]
August 30 - Wallingford, CT @ Cherry Street Station [TICKETS]
August 31 - Boston, MA @ O'Briens [TICKETS]
Whereas Bask's previous treks were inspired by tall tales, The Turningspools forth from the most fantastical corners of their imagination. "When we started writing this album, the songs were twangy, but also spacier and more psychedelic than anything we've done before", says vocalist and guitarist Zeb Wright, who is also the band's lyrical guide. "And so I asked myself, 'What does this feel like? What do all these things come together and make?". Following a retreat to Echo Mountain Recording with producer Kenny Harrington, they returned with the answer: a 40-odd minute, sci-fi opus that stretches not just across dimensions but generations in man's never-ending quest for immortality.
In keeping in line with its far-out concept, The Turning truly straddles the line between cosmic and country. Just as the video for "The Traveler" puts a surreal twist on the classic talk show format, the album's latest single also introduces a colorful wrinkle in the form of Bask's newest member Jed Willis. "These guys have become friends and brothers to me over the past decade or so", Willis says. His pedal steel glows with all the natural beauty of a Harvest Moon above the song's down-home melodies, though its dimension-hopping desperado needs help getting out of Dodge in order to avoid another run-in with the long, cold hand of fate.
"Don't be frightened of me". Wright belts with clean and clear conviction, though an organ-provoked premonition reveals that the intentions of "The Traveler" aren't so honorable. The doomy breakdown doesn't open the pit but an all-consuming black hole.
“We’ve been through so much together", bassist Jesse Van Note reflects. "We were robbed in Sweden. A tire literally fell off our van while we were driving. During COVID, we didn’t get together as much. We’re also older now and there are challenges and responsibilities that come with that. I have two kids. Some of us have bought houses. We’ve all been through marriages and different relationships. For things to snowball on top of the band one after another, it kind of had us feeling like maybe this was the end of our era”.
While its story line is admittedly "out there", The Turning does hit close to home. The album's dwellings on family, aging, death and rebirth were cast in a deeper, darker light when Bask returned for mixing and mastering after Hurricane Helene reached Asheville. "The Traveler" ends with its boots one step closer to the grave. But the band still ascend amongst the stars with a shredding solo that defies the laws of physics.
"Seeing this album finally come to light is therapeutic for us", guitarist Ray Worth says. "The Turning is Bask at our finest. It's our most cohesive and heartfelt effort, an ode to our mountain home in the sky".
The video for "The Traveler" was directed, filmed and edited by Eric Bader. It was produced and designed by Caroline Bader.
Additional video credits
Starring
Joshua Robbins as The Host
Andy the Doorbum as The Magician
Erik Button as The Fox
Caroline Bader as The Witch
Henry Bader as The Child
The Puppet as Himself
"Music is an emotional outlet, but at the end of the day, it's also a way for us to hang out with our best buds", the band says. "The Turning was a challenge, but we weathered the storm and came out the other side with a beautiful album that sounds like Bask".
Line-up:
Jesse Van Note – Bass
Scott Middleton – Drums
Ray Worth – Guitar
Zeb Wright – Guitar/Vocals
Jed Willis - Pedal Steel
Guest musicians
Clay White - Trumpet
Franklin Keel - Cello
Alex Taub - Piano, Hammond B3 Organ
Recording Studio
Echo Mountain Recording
Producer
Kenny Harrington
Engineer
Kenny Harrington
Mixing Studio
Acre AudioMixing
Mixing Engineer
Andrew Schneider
Mastering Studio
West West Side Music
Mastering Engineer
Alan Douches
Available Formats
Digital Download
CD Digipack
12" Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12" Vinyl Gatefold (Transparent Orange)
Pre-order & Pre-save