Marcus King Returns With ‘Hard Working Man’ From Dan Auerbach-Produced Album ‘Young Blood’

After two years, singer and songwriter Marcus King has returned with the announcement of his upcoming solo studio album Young Blood, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. The first taste of the record arrives in its lead single “Hard Working Man,” out now via American Records and Republic Records.

“We tour almost 200 days of the year, and even when I’m home, I’m doing something,” King said in a statement. “Working hard is just the way I was raised. It would make my grandfather proud to know I’m a hard working man and I’ve worked for everything I have. It’s an anthem for the people. You’ve got folks who work all week and spend their hard-earned money just to come see us. They’re the backbone of America. It’s a real blessing.”

Anthemic is a theme that runs prominently through Young Blood, which was recorded at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville last summer. “I was going through a lot during the album with addictions, breakups, and addictions because of breakups. I was overindulging in everything,” King added. “It’s not a big secret to my friends. I was in a real rough place for a while. I was trying to process the death of family members and I was on the wrong medications.”

The record features acclaimed musicians including Chris St. Hilaire on drums and Nick Movshon on bass with writing from King and Auerbach in collaboration with Desmond Child and Angelo Petraglia, who have collaborated with Aerosmith and Kings of Leon.

“Music runs so deep in Marcus’s blood he might not even realize how born to do this he is. He’s the real deal,” Auerbach shared in a statement. “Marcus has Southern Soul as part of his foundation. If you’re going to play rock ‘n’ roll with Marcus, you have to understand that element. It’s just who he is. These songs are live performances. The whole damn thing is live—the solos and everything. It’s so rare in this day and age.”

Pre-order Young Blood, out August 26.

Young Blood tracklist:
“It’s Too Late”
“Lie Lie Lie”
“Rescue Me”
“Pain”
“Good and Gone”
“Blood on the Tracks”
“Hard Working Man”
“Aim High”
“Dark Cloud”
“Whisper”
“Blues Worse Than I Ever Had”