“He wrings poetry from commonplace words and wisdom from dusty Midwestern country rock, chronicling tangled relationships and dead-end small towns.” - Uncut
“Blessed with a big, bruised, bluesy voice – like a permanently wounded Bruce Springsteen – he is a cracking songwriter and guitarist.” - Sunday Express
"It’s the kind of fierce honesty that will lead many listeners to explore all that came before — and will confirm that, one way or another, Moreland’s talent won’t stay hidden any longer.” - Associated Press 
"Before Big Bad Luv, tears were Moreland's currency – here, he manages to trade the sadness for a sense of purpose, always with a realist's eye.” - Rolling Stone Country 
"Simply put, Big Bad Luv is one of the best albums of 2017, a testament to living in the moment and letting the details sort themselves out." - PopMatters 

Big Bad Luv – the new album from John Moreland – is an honest, bruising experience.  A record about love, faith and the human condition, his first for 4AD is released today.

You can buy from the 4AD Store on LP and CD here.  
You can buy from John Moreland's store and all digital platforms here.
You can stream on the platform of your choice here.

Moving from Kentucky to Tulsa when he was ten years old, John fronted hardcore and punk bands throughout high school years before feeling the pull of the lyricism he heard in folk and country music; “I was 19 in 2004, and Steve Earle had put out The Revolution Starts Now, and I remember hearing the song ‘Rich Man’s War’ and totally feeling like somebody just punched me in the chest”.  Moreland has been chasing the ‘chest punch’ ever since, composing pointedly and prodigiously, releasing largely self-produced albums every other year since 2011.

Playing an equally pivotal role in his rise have been his mesmeric solo performances (including his performance on Colbert in 2016) and burgeoning word-of-mouth live reputation, and by the time he finished touring his most recent album, High On Tulsa Heat, making music was now his living; “I expected to just play in the corner of the bar and have people not really pay attention, make $100, go home and go to work the next morning, doing something I didn't like,” Moreland says.  “So, yeah, I didn't really expect to be here.  But, then, on the other hand, I did.  I feel like I'm good enough to be here.  And I've always been confident, even when I probably shouldn't have been.”

His fourth album, Big Bad Luv, was recorded in Little Rock, AK, and mostly with a crew of Tulsa friends: John Calvin Abney (piano and guitar), Aaron Boehler (bass), Paddy Ryan (drums), Jared Tyler (dobro) and Lucero's Rick Steff (piano).  Coming together in three sessions over ten months, which were sandwiched between touring dates and life, the final album was then mixed by GRAMMY winning Tchad Blake, who has worked with iconic acts from Al Green to Tom Waits.

Asked whether he feels Big Bad Luv is a perhaps a happier record, “I don't think I'm writing songs that are that much different,” Moreland says.  “It's always been a positive thing at heart, even if a song isn't sunshine and rainbows.  At the very least my songs have been a way to exorcise negative feelings so that I can move on.  And hopefully they provide that same experience to listeners.  So that's what I'm still doing.  I think it's a positive thing.  I think this record, there's definitely a change in attitude, but it's the same point of view.”

May
6th - Oran Mor, Glasgow, UK 
7th - Left Bank, Leeds, UK
8th - Union Chapel, London, UK
9th - Union Chapel, London, UK
11th - Les Étoiles, Paris, France
13th - Kampnagel, Hamburg, Germany
14th - Passionkirche Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
16th - Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

June
1st - Off Broadway, Saint Louis MO, US
2nd - White Rabbit Cabaret, Indianapolis IN, US
3rd - Beachland Tavern, Cleveland OH, US
4th - Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC, US
7th - Bowery Ballroom, New York NY, US
8th - The Sinclair, Boston MA, US
9th - Le Ritz, Montreal QC, Canada
10th - Velvet Underground, Toronto ON, Canada
13th - The Ark, Ann Arbor MI, US
14th - Thalia Hall, Chicago IL, US
16th - Turf Club, Minneapolis MN, US
17th - Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, Maquoketa IA, US
24th - Wheat State Whine Company, Winfield KA, US

July
11th - George's Majestic Lounge, Fayetteville AR, US
12th - 1884 Lounge at Minglewood Hall, Memphis TN, US
14th - 16th - Forecastle Festival, Louisville KY, US
15th - 16th - Sloss Festival, Birmingham AL, US
18th - Grey Eagle, Asheville NC, US
19th - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC, US
20th - Visulite Theatre, Charlotte NC, US
22nd - Proud Larry's, Oxford MS, US

August
2nd - Barleycorns, Wichita KS, US 
5th - Larimer Lounge, Denver CO, US 
6th - State Room, Salt Lake City UT, US 
8th - Tractor Tavern, Seattle WA, US
9th - The Cobalt, Vancouver BC, US
10th - Aladdin Theater, Portland OR, US
11th - 13th -Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco CA, US
13th - Barrelhouse Brewing, San Luis Obispo CA, US 
18th - 20th - Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands
22nd - Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
23rd - St. Stevenskerk, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
24th - 27th - Tønder Festival, Tønder, Norway
27th - Norway Café Mono, Oslo, Norway
31st - Openluchttheater Riviernhof, Antwerp, Belgium

September
1st - Moseley Folk Festival, Moseley
1st - 3rd - End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree, UK
29th - Stifel Theatre, Salina KS, US