JR JR Share New Track “Clean Up;” Announce NA Fall Tour

JR JR are happy to share “Clean Up,” a pensive new single dealing directly with issues of over-consumption. The track is now available to stream / download and premiered yesterday on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic by host Jason Bentley.

The beloved Detroit duo will be touring North America this fall, with dates kicking off October 5 at Chicago’s House Of Blues and concluding with a two-night stand at Detroit’s El Club November 17 and 18. Along the way the band will play Los Angeles’ El Rey on October 19, The 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on November 2 and New York City’s Irving Plaza on November 4. All dates are listed below.

Listen to “Clean Up”

Josh Epstein of JR JR reveals, “‘Clean Up’ is a song about the discomfort that not living in harmony with your true values can cause, so singing about it is supposed to make people a little uncomfortable. Hopefully, even question their own relationship with distractions. When we played it on the last tour, the response in the room, with people hearing it for the first time, gave me hope that ‘”Clean Up” was doing that for some folks.” Further, September is National Recovery Month, and the origins of today’s single were derived from Epstein’s own “over consumption and subsequent clarity.” He says, “I would like to encourage anyone listening to take a moment to check in with their own relationship with substances and coping mechanisms. It’s always a worthwhile thing.”

Both today’s single and the March released “Same Dark Places” are the first pieces of music the band has released since their 2015 album JR JR – the album which spawned Top 10 Alternative single, “Gone“. (Watch them perform “Gone” on The Late Late Show with James Corden here.)

Listeners across genre lines have been drawn in by their adventurous, danceable blend of classic songwriting, intricate melodies and electronic elements. Paste has noted, “Epstein and bandmate Daniel Zott remain purveyors of kaleidoscopic pop music.” Coming together through a shared love for bands that effortlessly flexed harmonies like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, Epstein and Zott recorded a couple songs in 2009 just for fun, and with that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was born (the band’s original name).

Since their appearance at Austin City Limits festival last fall, JR JR headed back into the studio but has also stayed busy the past several months by touring to benefit Mental Health Awareness month in May, and had their music prominently featured in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. Most recently the duo appeared on Comedy Central’s Detroiters.

Since their inception, Daniel and Josh wanted to avoid the typical trappings that come with having defined roles in a band, so there’s no frontman in JR JR, just two guys who relish in the yin and yang of a close partnership. “Clean Up” is the first taste amongst more music and announcements to be expected.

JR JR North American Fall Tour Dates

Thu, Oct 5 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Fri, Oct 6 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
Sat, Oct 7 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Mon, Oct 9 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Tue, Oct 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Thu, Oct 12 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Fri, Oct 13 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne
Sat, Oct 14 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
Mon, Oct 16 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Tue, Oct 17 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
Thu, Oct 19 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
Fri, Oct 20 – San Diego, CA – Irenic
Sat, Oct 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Lost Lake Music Fest
Sun, Oct 22 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Tue, Oct 24 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Wed, Oct 25 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
Thu, Oct 26 – Houston, TX – WOMH
Fri, Oct 27 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Sat, Oct 28 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Hell Stage
Mon, Oct 30 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
Tue, Oct 31 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Thu, Nov 2 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Fri, Nov 3 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church of Christ
Sat, Nov 4 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Sun, Nov 5 – Cambridge, MA – Sinclair
Tue, Nov 7 – Buffalo, NY – Waiting Room
Wed, Nov 8 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
Thu, Nov 9 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Fri, Nov 17 – Detroit, MI – El Club
Sat, Nov 18 – Detroit, MI – El Club