Marcus King Band’s highly anticipated new album Darling Blue is out now via American Recordings/Republic Records. Listen/share the album HERE.
Alongside the release, the band shared the new track “The Shadows” featuring GRAMMY-nominated artist Noah Cyrus. Watch/share the official lyric video HERE.
“I wrote ‘The Shadows’ with Nick Monson and Madi Yanofsky, featuring a devastatingly sweet, sweeping melody from Paul Franklin and Billy Contrares,” says King. “We really wanted to have the second verse belong to someone we thought embodied the essence of this song. Noah Cyrus immediately came to mind, and when she agreed to be on the track, I knew it was meant to be. Noah’s voice brought the song to a level I didn’t realize it could reach. Truly an inspiration to share a song together.”
Ahead of the album, the band released several songs, including “Heartlands” and “Here Today” featuring Jamey Johnson and Kaitlin Butts. Billboard praised the collaborations: “when their voices merge, it evokes a freewheeling, jam-band feel that dares fans not to sing along.” The band also shared “Carry Me Home,” “Carolina Honey,” and “Honky Tonk Hell”—the latter becoming the fastest single of King’s career to surpass one million streams.
The Darling Blue Tour (Pt. 1)
The 13-date North American run is underway now, with stops in Memphis, Albuquerque, Little Rock, and more. Support on select dates comes from Angel White, Laci Kaye Booth, and Pearl. Tickets and more info available HERE.
It was recently confirmed that Marcus King Band will make their Austin City Limits debut on November 4 for Season 51 of the acclaimed program.
About Darling Blue
Darling Blue reunites the Grammy-nominated Marcus King with his longtime live band for their first studio album together since 2018’s Carolina Confessions. Inspired heavily by the Blue Ridge Mountains of King’s South Carolina home, the record weaves together country, folk, psychedelic rock, and Motown-era R&B, while continuing King’s deeply personal reflections on addiction and depression.
“It truly felt like home,” King explains. “Like my band and I were just working out songs to perform live but ended up creating a piece of recorded music for our fans to hear. Our goal is always to be a vessel and allow the music to flow through us. But more than anything I’ve done before, this album felt like a real concerted effort to make music for myself, and for ourselves as a band—creating for the love of creating and being as honest as we possibly can. We put everything we had into making something that we love, and we have faith that the audience will feel that and love it, too.”
Beyond the Album
Recently, King partnered with Gibson to release his second signature guitar, the Gibson Marcus King ES-345, featured in People, Guitar World, and Premier Guitar.
The beloved Marcus King Band Family Reunion Festival also returned for its fourth installment in Charleston, SC, with performances by Marcus King Band, Jamey Johnson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Molly Tuttle, Hiss Golden Messenger, and more.
This year also sees King hitting the road with Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Eric Church, and Dwight Yoakam, in addition to his own headlining tour.
About Marcus King
Born in Greenville, South Carolina and now based in Nashville, Marcus King began performing alongside his blues guitarist father at the age of eight. His solo debut, El Dorado (2020), produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, was met with widespread acclaim. The Associated Press called it “a definite high point of 2020.” The album earned King a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
He followed with Young Blood (2022), also produced by Auerbach, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Blues Albums Chart. The magazine hailed it as a “staggeringly confident work.” Last year, King returned with his third album, Mood Swings, produced by Rick Rubin. Rolling Stone praised it, noting he “goes for something much more daring, vulnerable, and openhearted.”
With Darling Blue, Marcus King and his band stand at a new creative peak, bridging the soulful roots of their past with a bold, forward-looking sound.
MARCUS KING BAND—DARLING BLUE
1. On & On
2. Here Today ft. Jamey Johnson & Kaitlin Butts
3. Honky Tonk Hell
4. Heartlands
5. Die Alone
6. Somebody Else ft. Jesse Welles
7. Levi’s & Goodbyes
8. Carolina Honey
9. No Room For Blue
10. Blue Ridge Mountain Moon
11. Dirt (Nashville version) ft. Billy Strings
12. The Shadows ft. Noah Cyrus
13. Pretty Petty
14. Carry Me Home
TOUR DATES
BOLD DATES: The Darling Blue Tour (Pt. 1)
September 26—Milwaukee, WI—Fiserv Forum*
September 27—Des Moines, IA—Casey’s Center*
September 28—St. Louis, MO—Evolution Festival
October 2—Detroit, MI—Little Caesars Arena*
October 3—Lexington, KY—Rupp Arena*
October 9—Indianapolis, IN—Gainbridge Fieldhouse*
October 10—Grand Rapids, MI—Van Andel Arena*
October 11—Cleveland, OH—Rocket Arena*
October 12—Peoria, IL—Civic Center Theater†
October 14—Lawrence, KS—Liberty Hall†
October 16—Sugar Land, TX—Smart Financial Centre At Sugar Land‡
October 17—Stephenville, TX—Twisted J Live
October 18—Austin, TX—Moody Center‡
October 19—Fayetteville, AR—JJ’s§
October 21—Starkville, MS—Rick’s Cafe§
October 23—Memphis, TN—Graceland†
October 24—Fairhope, AL—Live at Five†
October 25—Birmingham, AL—Legacy Arena at The BJCC**
October 30—Catoosa, OK—Hard Rock Live
October 31—Little Rock, AR—The Hall‡‡
November 1—Gonzales, LA—Boots On The Bayou
November 2—Corpus Christi, TX—Concrete Street Pavilion††
November 5—Lubbock, TX—Cook’s Garage (indoors) ††
November 6—Albuquerque, NM—Revel††
November 7-8—Scottsdale, AZ—Dreamy Draw Music Festival
November 11-16—Los Angeles, CA—Blue Note LA
May 29—Panama City Beach, FL—Gulf Coast Jam
*with Eric Church
†with Angel White
‡with Dwight Yoakam
§with Laci Kaye Booth
**with Cody Johnson
††with Pearl
