Los Angeles punk veterans X are calling it quits. Today (June 25), the band announced plans to release their final album, titled Smoke & Fiction, through Fat Possum Records. The album is out on Aug. 2 and was produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Foo Fighters).
Today, X released the album’s first single, “Big Black X.” The song takes stock of their 47-year career, looking back at how things have changed for them and the city where they formed. The video for “Big Black X” was directed by Gilbert Trejo and Shane McKenzie. Of the video, the pair says it is “inspired by 80s video art and the great punk documentaries of the time / shot on VHS, edited tape to tape, using Polaroids + 35mm photos, smashed together with analog video mixers and CRT televisions / it’s a tornado of the past and present – Ed Colver’s photos were a blast to video mix and they are the glue holding it all together.”
Additionally, X announced that their upcoming tour will be their last. The band had some shows earlier this year and played a show in Long Beach on Friday, and last night at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. The tour is expected to go into 2025, as X is scheduled to play Little Steven’s Underground Garage cruise next May.
The band’s previous album, Alphabetland, was released in 2020 and was their first with original guitarist Billy Zoom since 1985.
X’s Smoke & Fiction Track Listing:
- Ruby Church
- Sweet Til The Bitter End
- The Way It Is
- Flipside
- Big Black X
- Smoke & Fiction
- Struggle
- Winding Up the Time
- Face in the Moon
- Baby & All
X ~ The End is Near ~ Smoke & Fiction Tour:
7/6 – Kansas City, MO – The Uptown
7/7 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
7/9 – St. Louis, MO – Del Mar Hall
7/10 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
7/12 – Minneapolis, MN – The Varsity
7/13 – Chicago, IL – Square Roots Festival
7/14 – Chicago, IL – Fitzgerald’s – SOLD OUT
7/16 – Detroit, MI – The Masonic
7/17 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
7/19 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
7/25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
7/26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
7/28 – Costa Mesa, CA – Pacific Amphitheatre
7/30 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
8/19 – Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theatre
8/20 – Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theatre
8/22 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
8/23 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
8/25 – Portland, OR – The Aladdin
8/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
8/30 – Denver, CO – The Summit
9/01 – Albuquerque, NM – The El Rey
9/22 – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
9/23 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
9/25 – Albany, NY – Empire Live
9/26 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall
9/28 – Falls Church, CA – The State Theatre
10/1 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue, Theatre
10/2 – Philadelphia, PA – Keswick Theater
10/3 – New York, NY – Town Hall
10/5 – Middletown, CT – Harbor Park
10/18 – Austin, TX – The Paramount
10/19 – San Antonio, TX – Empire Live
10/21 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
10/22 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10/24 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
10/25 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
10/26 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City
10/27 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
10/29 – Charlotte, NC – The Neighborhood Theatre
10/30 – Columbia, SC – The Senate
More dates to be announced