Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Deep Purple release first single and video for “Arrogant Boy” from new album ‘Splat!’

Deep Purple has released the first advance track from the band's forthcoming album 'Splat!' and it's great. Make sure to check out the video for "Arrogant Boy" as well...Robert Kinsler 


 DEEP PURPLE

RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

FOR “ARROGANT BOY”

FROM NEW ALBUM ‘SPLAT!’

OUT JULY 3

LISTEN TO ARROGANT BOY  WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO

ACCESS THE ALBUM SPLAT!

 


Album Cover


 

DEEP PURPLE have debuted the first single and video for the powerful, fast-paced hard rock tune “Arrogant Boy.” It’s the initial musical statement from SPLAT! the band’s new studio album set for a July 3 release on earMUSIC. The official music video for the track is a live performance clip which premiered last night (May 12) on YouTube. Watch it HERE.

 

DEEP PURPLEIan Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Simon McBride—are currently featured on the cover of Classic Rock Germany, where the magazine highlights “Arrogant Boy” as “an electrifying song in the style of ‘Space Truckin’ or ‘Highway Star,’” adding that it “doesn’t copy these classics; rather, it cleverly varies them.”

 

“‘Arrogant Boy’ is the story of Billy who couldn’t read or write,” says DEEP PURPLE frontman Gillian. “He is unhappy with things, so he speaks up, and finds a way of irritating, one way or another, the elite. And I can’t think of anything more fun than irritating the elite. It would be a joyous exercise for me every morning after coffee.”

 

The single arrives one week after DEEP PURPLE announced their new studio album SPLAT! Once again, the band has teamed up with producer Bob Ezrin, continuing a collaboration that has shaped the band’s recent studio albums, all of which reached #1 on the album charts in multiple countries.

 

On the touring front, DEEP PURPLE have just completed shows in Asia and the band is set to continue touring with a run of European summer dates in June before officially launching the SPLAT! World Tour in North America in August. The upcoming touring schedule includes 86 shows across 28 countries, bringing DEEP PURPLE back to major arenas across Europe in autumn before the year ends with shows in South America in December.

 

SPLAT! will be released on July 3 on earMUSIC and is available for pre-order in multiple formats including CD, vinyl, and limited editions. Further exclusive fan items are only available on the official SPLAT! shop.

 

At the heart of SPLAT! is an idea conceived by Ian Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: SPLAT! explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

 

ACCESS THE ALBUM SPLAT!

 

Track listing (CD/2LP):

Side A

Arrogant Boy

Diablo

The Rider

The Lunatic

Side B

The Only Horse In Town

Sacred Land

The Beating Of Wings

Side C

Guilt Trippin'

Scriblin' Gib'rish

Jessica's Bra

Side D

Third Call

My New Movie

Splat!

 

SPLAT! will be available July 3 in multiple formats:

 

  • Limited Box Set, containing:
  • 2LP Gatefold (180g)
  • 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
  • CD Digisleeve
  • 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE Tour 2024
  • Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track “GUINNESIS” (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)

 

  • CD (Digisleeve)

 

  • 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

  • Limited Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

  • Limited Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

All LP editions include a rich 12-page LP-sized booklet with illustrations and all song lyrics – available exclusively with the first pressing.

 

Further exclusive items are available via the official artist store, including:

 

  • Limited 2LP Picture Disc + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

  • Limited Cassette

 

  • A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide

 

  • Additional apparel and merchandise items

 

ACCESS THE NEW ALBUM HERE

 

Follow DEEP PURPLE

Facebook   Instagram  YouTube     TikTok       X

 

Follow earMUSIC

Facebook   Instagram  YouTube     TikTok       X

 

ABOUT DEEP PURPLE

There simply aren’t enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 120 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there’s little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the “5th Most Influential Band Ever.” The band were also presented the “Legend Award” at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are “rock royalty.”

 

With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE have helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band’s inception. The celebrated MKII line-up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early ’70s, including Made in Japan universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.

 

Known as one of the hardest working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE have continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest.

 

DEEP PURPLE have stayed true to their musical roots, drawing from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today and, in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many “classic,” well-known songs that its audience ranges widely in age and background—something the band has readily embraced.

 

DEEP PURPLE’s recent studio album =1 (2024) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums Whoosh! (2020), inFinite (2017) and NOW What?! (2013). 2026 sees the release of their brand-new album SPLAT!  On these albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.

 

Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio), creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of Turning to Crime.

 

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.

Monday, May 11, 2026

New music: Kacey Musgraves, The Knack, Duke Robillard

In this column I showcase the latest album releases from celebrated country music great Kacey Musgraves, power pop heroes The Knack and legacy blues singer-songwriter/guitar master Duke Robillard.




Artist: 
Kacey Musgraves

Title: Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway/Interscope)
You might like if you enjoy: Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Billy Strings
Tell me more: Kacey Musgraves is back! The acclaimed country music artist's seventh studio album has been met with widespread acclaim and for good reason. The 13-track album chronicles life's ups and downs with authenticity, heart and an infectious musical soundscape that will keep discerning listeners coming back again and again. There are so many highlights on the album, country music lovers will want to dive into the track listing with abandon. Musgraves wrote many of the songs after a painful divorce and period of isolation so the songs have a heft that will resonate with a single listen. The reflective ballad "Back On The Wagon," accordion-drenched two-stepping duet with Willie Nelson titled "Uncertain, TX," steamy "Mexico Honey," irresistible "I Believe in Ghosts" and aptly-titled "Loneliest Girl" are among the great originals on the disc. The playful "Horses and Divorces" is a winning duet teaming the top-tier vocal talents of Musgraves and Miranda LambertBased on the strength of her fantastic performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, fans will want to catch her in concert this fall. Musgraves' forthcoming "Middle of Nowhere" Tour includes dates in Phoenix, AZ on Oct. 17 and in Los Angeles on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19. Information: kaceymusgraves.com


Artist: 
The Knack

Title: Knackology: The Zen Recordings (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Cheap Trick, The Knack, Badfinger, Matthew Sweet
Tell me more: The power and excitement of The Knack's explosive power pop-meets-New Wave sound shines across the 19 studio, live and demo tracks featured on the newly-released Knackology: The Zen Recordings. From the ferocious opener "Let Me Out" (recorded live in Los Angeles in 1978), intoxicating rockers "Pop Is Dead" and "Ambition" (the latter two cuts from the band's essential 1998 LP Zoom) to a terrific cover of Badfinger's 1970 Pete Ham-penned hit "No Matter What," a breezy 1973 demo of "That's What The Little Girls Do," power pop perfection courtesy of "Can I Borrow A Kiss" and a hard rocking "Shine" captured at Leeds in 1991, magic abounds on this must-have collection. Among the other standouts are energetic live takes on some of The Knack's most beloved originals; inspired readings of "(She's So) Selfish" and "My Sharona" captured at a concert in Mountain View, California in June 1994 as well as the affecting "One Day At A Time" recorded in 2002 will thrill new and long-time fans of the Doug Fieger-led troupe. Mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Michael Graves, the package also includes liner notes from Grammy-winning set co-producer Lee Lodyga. Information: omnivorerecordings.com


Artist: 
Duke Robillard and His All Star Band

Title: Blast Off! (Nola Blue Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Dr. John, Tommy Castro, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Allen Toussaint
Tell me more: Duke Robillard, who recently celebrated his 77th birthday, is firing on all cylinders across his latest album Blast Off! Indeed, the legendary singer-songwriter/guitar great along with his All Star Band explore his love of blues, soul, R&B, jazz and more American roots genres across the 12-song collection. The album's parade of inviting cuts includes the exuberant Floyd Dixon-penned opener "When I Get Lucky," the jump blues sortie "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You)," Chicago blues-styled ballad "Feel My Cares" showcasing Robillard's guitar chops and signature vocals, the instrumental swing foray "Play Boy Hop," soulful "Confusion" and lead guitar-anchored instrumental blues track "Galactic Grease." The album was produced by Robillard, and was recorded and mixed by John Paul Gauthier at Lakewest Recording in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Information: nolabluerrecords.com


Robert Kinsler


Friday, May 08, 2026

Jason Scott & The High Heat commit “Highway Robbery” on raucous new single

Check out the rousing new single from Jason Scott & The High Heat, and learn more about the troupe's upcoming appearances...Robert Kinsler




Thursday, May 07, 2026

Deep Purple announces release of 'Splat!'; new album coming July 3, 2026

Deep Purple has just announced the release of the hard rock band's forthcoming album Splat!, set for release July 3, 2026. I am really looking forward to this album. Read a review of one of my favorite hard rock shows ever when Deep Purple and Blue Öyster Cult performed on the same bill in Costa Mesa, CA in 2014...Robert Kinsler



ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM

OUT JULY 3 ON earMUSIC

“MUSIC FOR THE END OF HUMANITY

(…BUT NOT AS GRIM AS IT MAY SEEM)”

 

PRE-SAVE THE NEW ALBUM HERE

Pictured above: Album Cover


DEEP PURPLE will release their new studio album SPLAT! July 3 on earMUSIC.  The band—Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Simon McBride—has once again teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper) and together, they have crafted an album that draws on the sound and attitude that has always set DEEP PURPLE apart from the rest. SPLAT! is the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years, with the band playing together in the studio—the way DEEP PURPLE have always recorded. Pre-order starts today; click HERE.

 

“I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star,’ ‘Smoke on the Water,’ and ‘Lazy,’ the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from ’69 to ’73,” says frontman Ian Gillan. He adds: “Where we are now with this incarnation of DEEP PURPLE feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of DEEP PURPLE as it was in the seventies.”

 

At the heart of SPLAT! is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: SPLAT! explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

L-R: Ian Paice, Don Airey, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Simon McBride

 

Photo Credit:  Olaf Heine

 

Additional details about the album concept will be revealed in the weeks leading up to its July 3 release. New music from SPLAT! is on the way and DEEP PURPLE invite fans to follow the journey at DEEP PURPLE and earMUSIC on socials.

 

To celebrate the release, DEEP PURPLE will continue their extensive 2026 touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents.

 

With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, DEEP PURPLE have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.

 

Ian Gillan sums it up: “DEEP PURPLE is in a great place right now.”

 

Track listing (CD/2LP):

Side A

1.  Arrogant Boy

2.  Diablo

3.  The Rider

4.  The Lunatic

Side B

5.  The Only Horse In Town

6.  Sacred Land

7.  The Beating Of Wings

Side C

8.  Guilt Trippin'

9.  Scriblin' Gib'rish

10. Jessica's Bra

Side D

11. Third Call

12. My New Movie

13. Splat!

 

SPLAT! will be available July 3 in multiple formats:

 

·      Limited Box Set, containing:

o  2LP Gatefold (180g)

o  12-page vinyl-sized booklet

o  CD Digisleeve

o  3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE Tour 2024

o  Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track “GUINNESIS” (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)

 

·      CD (Digisleeve)

 

·      2LP Gatefold (black, 180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

·      Limited Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

·      Limited Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

All LP editions include a rich 12-page LP-sized booklet with illustrations and all song lyrics – available exclusively with the first pressing.

 

Further exclusive items are available via the official artist store, including:

 

·      Limited 2LP Picture Disc + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

 

·      Limited Cassette

 

·      A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide

 

·      Additional apparel and merchandise items

 

ACCESS THE NEW ALBUM HERE

 

Follow DEEP PURPLE

Facebook   Instagram  YouTube     TikTok       X

 

Follow earMUSIC

Facebook   Instagram  YouTube     TikTok       X

 

ABOUT DEEP PURPLE

There simply aren’t enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 120 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there’s little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the “5th Most Influential Band Ever.” The band were also presented the “Legend Award” at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are “rock royalty.”


With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE have helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band’s inception. The celebrated MKII line-up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early ’70s, including Made in Japan universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.


Known as one of the hardest working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE have continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest.


DEEP PURPLE have stayed true to their musical roots, drawing from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today and, in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many “classic,” well-known songs that its audience ranges widely in age and background—something the band has readily embraced.


DEEP PURPLE’s recent studio album =1 (2024) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums Whoosh! (2020), inFinite (2017) and NOW What?! (2013). 2026 sees the release of their brand-new album SPLAT!  On these albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.


Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio), creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of Turning to Crime.

 

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.

 

MAD IN EUROPE TOUR DATES

11 JUN 2026 – Espoo, Finland – Espoo Metro Arena

12 JUN 2026 – Tampere, Finland – Nokia Arena

14 JUN 2026 – Kristiansand, Norway – Dirty Old Town Live – Odderoya Amfi

18 JUN 2026 – Clisson, France – Hellfest – SOLD OUT

20 JUN 2026 – Meppen, Germany – Emsland Open Air

24 JUN 2026 – Mönchengladbach, Germany – SparkassenPark

27 JUN 2026 – Coburg, Germany – HUK Coburg Open Air, Schlossplatz

28 JUN 2026 – Ulm, Germany – Klosterhof Wiblingen

02 JUL 2026 – Vigo, Spain – Conciertos de Castrelos, Auditorio Castrelos

04 JUL 2026 – Gredos, Ávila, Spain – Músicos en la Naturaleza

05 JUL 2026 – Pamplona, Spain – Navarra Arena

07 JUL 2026 – Valencia, Spain – Jardines de Viveros

09 JUL 2026 – Marbella, Spain – Starlite

10 JUL 2026 – Cádiz, Spain – Tío Pepe

13 JUL 2026 – Montreux, Switzerland – Montreux Jazz Festival

16 JUL 2026 – Pisa, Italy – Pisa Summer Knights – Piazza Dei Cavalieri

17 JUL 2026 – Este, Italy – Este Music Festival – Castello Carrarese

19 JUL 2026 – Munich, Germany – Tollwood Festival

 

SPLAT! WORLD TOUR DATES


04 AUG 2026 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater

06 AUG 2026 – Memphis, TN – Memphis Botanic Garden

08 AUG 2026 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound

09 AUG 2026 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Casino

12 AUG 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Jones Beach Theater

13 AUG 2026 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center

15 AUG 2026 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre

17 AUG 2026 – Laval, QC – Place Bell

18 AUG 2026 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre

19 AUG 2026 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre

21 AUG 2026 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob

22 AUG 2026 – Salamanca, NY – Seneca Allegany Casino

24 AUG 2026 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheatre

25 AUG 2026 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia

27 AUG 2026 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino

29 AUG 2026 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre

31 AUG 2026 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome

02 SEP 2026 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre

04 SEP 2026 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley

05 SEP 2026 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre

06 SEP 2026 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theatre

08 SEP 2026 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

10 SEP 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Planet Hollywood

11 SEP 2026 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater

12 SEP 2026 – Sparks, NV – Nugget Event Center

29 SEP 2026 – Sofia, Bulgaria – 8888 Arena

01 OCT 2026 – Cluj, Romania – BT Arena

02 OCT 2026 – Budapest, Hungary – Laszlo Papp Arena

04 OCT 2026 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Tipos Arena

05 OCT 2026 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle

07 OCT 2026 – Prague, Czechia – O2 Arena

08 OCT 2026 – Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena

10 OCT 2026 – Belgrade, Serbia – Stark Arena

11 OCT 2026 – Skopje, North Macedonia – Boris Trajkovski Arena

13 OCT 2026 – Athens, Greece – Telekom Centre Arena

16 OCT 2026 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion

17 OCT 2026 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

19 OCT 2026 – Barcelona, Spain – Sant Jordi Club

20 OCT 2026 – Madrid, Spain – Movistar Arena

22 OCT 2026 – Paris, France – Adidas Arena

23 OCT 2026 – Antwerp, Belgium – Lotto Arena

25 OCT 2026 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena

26 OCT 2026 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

28 OCT 2026 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum Arena

29 OCT 2026 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Scandinavium

31 OCT 2026 – Leipzig, Germany – QI Arena

01 NOV 2026 – Hamburg, Germany – Sporthalle

03 NOV 2026 – Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle

04 NOV 2026 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

06 NOV 2026 – Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle

07 NOV 2026 – Nuremberg, Germany – Arena

09 NOV 2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

10 NOV 2026 – Strasbourg, France – Zénith

12 NOV 2026 – Bordeaux, France – Arkéa Arena

13 NOV 2026 – Nantes, France – Zénith

15 NOV 2026 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

18 NOV 2026 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena

19 NOV 2026 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro

21 NOV 2026 – Birmingham, UK – BP Pulse Arena

22 NOV 2026 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena

24 NOV 2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo

25 NOV 2026 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall

05 DEC 2026 – São Paulo, Brazil – Suhai Hall

08 DEC 2026 – Santiago, Chile – Movistar Arena

10 DEC 2026 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena

13 DEC 2026 – Monterrey, MX – Arena Monterrey

16 DEC 2026 – Guadalajara, MX – Arena Guadalajara

19 DEC 2026 – Mexico City, MX – Estadio Fray Nano


Tickets are available at www.deeppurple.com.