The Dirty Nil Confirms New Album ‘Free Rein to Passions’; Unveils Lead Single/Video

The Dirty Nil have announced their fourth album, Free Rein to Passions, coming out May 26, 2023, via Dine Alone Records. The LP is a return to form for the band, marking a more reckless approach for the JUNO Award-winning trio. After experimenting with some smoother, more radio-friendly sounds on 2021’s Fuck Art, The Nil promptly returned to the studio and got back to the basics of what their band is about at its core—thrashy riffs, bashed-out drums, and levels-to-the-max volume.

Today, the band shared the first single from the new album, “Nicer Guy.” The track will remind listeners that The Nil still wield the power to stitch a perfect, infectious pop hook into their rock fabric. Bentham explains:

“I’d been sitting on some of the guitar parts for a long time, husbanding them for a suitably righteous song. In the depths of lockdown, I dusted them off and came up with the words. It was a happy day in an otherwise lonely time. Special shoutout to Kyle’s extremely tight playing and Sam’s stampeding elephant bass. Sincerity can feel uncomfortable, but this one feels right.”

On Free Rein to Passions, The Dirty Nil have produced their most authentic work to date. Across the album’s ten tracks, the band keeps things simple lyrically and thematically with songs about working soul-sucking jobs, shredding on guitar, and striving to be a kinder person. “The only real central theme of the album is an acknowledgment of the crazy circumstances that we all occupy at this point in time, and being nice,” Bentham stresses. “It’s about being nice to everyone around you, and enjoying your silly little life and not getting too smashed down by prevailing negativity in the air.”

The Nil again recruited longtime collaborative producer John Goodmanson to capture their sound at Jukasa Media on Ontario’s Six Nations Reserve. They also brought in new blood with bassist Sam Tomlinson, a friend and fellow product of the Dundas scene. “In some ways, it feels like going back to our roots in Dundas, and Sam knows what that’s like,” adds drummer Kyle Fisher. “He’s cut from the same cloth as Luke and I.”

The Dirty Nil will kick off a co-headlining tour with Daniel Romano’s Outfit in June. Click here for a full list of dates/to purchase tickets.

The Dirty Nil ‘Free Rein to Passions’ album artwork

Free Rein to Passions Track Listing:

1. Celebration
2. Nicer Guy
3. Undefeated
4. Atomize Me
5. Land Of Clover
6. Blowing Up Things In The Woods
7. Stupid Jobs
8. 1990
9. Free Rein to Passions
10. The Light The Void and Everything

Upcoming North American Tour Dates w/ Daniel Romano’s Outfit:

6/1/23 – Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
6/2/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
6/4/23 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
6/6/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre
6/7/23 – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis Pub
6/8/23 – Red Deer, AB @ Starlite Room
6/10/23 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth
6/11/23 – Medicine Hat, AB @ Casa Amigos
6/13/23 – Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
6/14/23 – Kelowa, BC @ Runaways
6/15/23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
6/16/23 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
6/17/23 – Seattle, WA @ Madam Lou’s
6/18/23 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
6/20/23 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
6/21/23 – Fresno, CA – Strummers
6/22/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
6/23/23 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
6/24/23 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
6/25/23 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
6/27/23 – Austin, TX @ Parish
6/28/23 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
6/29/23 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Halls (Upstairs)
6/30/23 – New Orleans, LA @ Santos
7/1/23 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7/2/23 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
7/5/23 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
7/6/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
7/7/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
7/8/23 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
7/11/23 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
7/12/23 – Boston, MA @ Sonia
7/13/23 – Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon
7/14/23 – Buffalo, NY @ Red Room