It’s the return of Hoots and Hellmouth! Listen to the new “Diction” and see them in Ardmore.

Hoots and Hellmouth | photo by Melissa Madison Fuller | courtesy of the artist

Philly’s Hoots and Hellmouth were once upon a time known as the Philly folk band that stomped and screamed their live shows into a frenzy. But for any artist that’s been active long enough, there’s a process of growth and evolution. The band just released its first new single since 2011’s terrific Salt LP and the difference is notable.

“Diction” is simultaneous scaled back and emphatic; it’s a slow jam with loud drums and frontman Sean Hoots delivering a soaring falsetto that’s both tender and turbulent. It seems to be a song about determination: “I say what you say, I do what you do, I can’t turn away.”

The song comes from In the Trees Where I Can See The Forest, the new LP that the band is self-releasing on October 28th. It was recorded at Dr. Dog’s Mt. Slippery studio in Clifton Heights with Nathan Sabatino; that’s the cover art and track listing below. You can also scope the band’s fall tour dates, which bring it to the Ardmore Music Hall on December 2nd; tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.

In the Trees Where I Can See The Forest
1. Golden Coast
2. In Effigy
3. Diction
4. Only Animal
5. Delicate Skeleton
6. Move Me
7. Hurt A Little
8. Rivers And Rivulets
9. Off To Sea
10. Golden Compass Rose

Hoots and Hellmouth tour dates

10/05 Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH
10/06 Club Cafe – Pittsburgh, PA 10/07 The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI
10/08 Ignition Garage – Goshen, IN
10/09 The Tonic Room – Chicago. IL
10/13 Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
10/15 Rose Music Hall – Columbia, MO
10/16 The Bootleg – St. Louis, MO
10/19 The Basement – Nashville, TN
10/21 Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
10/22 The Abbey Bar – Harrisburg, PA
11/11 Gypsy Sally’s – Washington, DC
11/17 Atwoods Tavern – Cambridge, MA
11/18 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
11/20 Musikfest Cafe – Bethlehem, PA
12/02 The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA