The Stray Cats return to celebrate 40th anniversary with brand new album and tour!

The STRAY CATS have titled the album 40. Marking their first new album in 26 years, it will be releasedMay 24 via Surfdog Record and distributed by Mascot Label Group in Europe and the UK (CD, vinyl, digital). The song titles alone--including “Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” “Rock It Off,” “Mean Pickin’ Mama,” and “Devil Train”—instantly let listeners know they’re in for a non-stop rocking time.

Watch the band and album producer Peter Collins in the studio discussing the making of the album

The first instant grat track, "Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),” is available now with a pre-order of the album. The song is also streaming on Spotify. A Limited Box with CD including 2 bonus tracks and Stray Cats-themed coasters (2x), postcard and 2 stickers! will arrive on May 24, as well as limited LP on 180 grams silver vinyl : http://smarturl.it/StrayCats

The STRAY CATS recorded 40 at Blackbird Studios in Nashville in late 2018 following their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows in Las Vegas and thePacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA before wildly enthusiastic audiences. Still buzzing from the thrill of playing together again and crowd response, they went into the studio with producer Peter Collins(Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). There are a dozen original songs that comprise the album

Here’s what the guys have to say:

Brian Setzer: "You have to understand how unique The Stray Cats are. It’s me playing an old hollow body guitar, Slim Jim playing two or three drums, and Lee Rocker slapping a stand-up acoustic bass. I get to write new songs and then play them with my buddies. Somehow we created a new and exciting sound with this simple idea. And you know what? A lot of people agree!"

Lee Rocker: “This new album really feels like the first record we did, it’s really natural and comfortable. For the recording, we went live--like doing a gig, we recorded in a real, organic way. We were all in one room standing next to each other recording live, with the amps turned up to 10, it captured the undefinable things that happen when a band is great, it captured the magic that takes place and an undefined spark.”

Slim Jim Phantom: “We’re very, very focused when we get into the studio, it didn’t feel like a long time had passed since we had done this, it felt very natural and familiar. We were all in a row with everyone watching each other, so it felt like a gig in the set-up. We really embraced that a little bit for the album, it’s like an old way of making records. The modern is meeting the vintage, which has always been our inspiration.”

• Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)
• Rock It Off
• I’ve Got Love If You Want It
• Cry Danger
• I Attract Trouble
• Three Time’s A Charm
• That’s Messed Up
• When Nothing’s Going Right
• Desperado
• Mean Pickin’ Mama
• I’ll Be Looking Out For You
• Devil Train

Bonus tracks - Box Set ONLY

CRY BABY (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018)

DOUBLE TALKIN’ BABY (LIVE in Orange County, CA 2018)

DAY DATE VENUE CITY/STATE

• Friday 21 June Azkena Rock Festival Vitoria, Spain
• Sunday 23 June Birmingham 02 Academy Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Tuesday 25 June Manchester 02 Apollo Manchester, United Kingdom
• Wednesday 26 June London Eventim Apollo London, United Kingdom
• Thursday 27 June London Eventim Apollo London, United Kingdom
• Saturday 29 June Retro C Trop Tilloloy, France
• Monday 1 July AFAS Live Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Wednesday 3 July Columbiahalle Berlin, Germany
• Thursday 4 July Palladium Cologne, Germany
• Saturday 6 July American Tours Festival Tours, France
• Sunday 7 July Les Eurockeennes Belfort, France
• Tuesday 9 July Killesberg Stuttgart, Germany
• Thursday 11 July Zenith Munich, Germany
• Saturday 13 July Musilac Festival Aix-Les-Bains, France
• Thursday 18 July Pori Jazz Festival Pori, Finland
• Saturday 20 July Summer Jamboree Falun, Sweden