Hear J. Roddy Walston’s Ferocious New Song ‘The Wanting’
If the waiting really is the hardest part, then it’s been a particularly tough four years for fans of J. Roddy Walston and the Business. The raucous Richmond, Virginia, Southern rockers (originally hailing from Cleveland, Tennessee) haven’t released any new music since their excellent 2013 LP, Essential Tremors, an uppercut of an album that included live favorites “Heavy Bells” and “Take It As It Comes.” Now, the group has returned with a new single, “The Wanting.”
The first glimpse of Walston’s new, as-yet-unnamed album due to be released this fall, “The Wanting” is in fact the first new recording of any kind to come from the group since Essential Tremors. A song about a fractured father-son relationship, Walston’s return to songwriting is no light touch. “You’re the one thing that I want,” he sings in the chorus from the son’s perspective, “and the wanting is all I’ll have.” Known for their rowdy live shows, Walston and the Business smooth out some of their scruffier tendencies on “The Wanting,” resulting in a cleaner, anthem-friendly approach with big, booming refrains reminiscent of Kings of Leon.
Like the forthcoming album, which will be Walston’s second with ATO Records and fourth overall, “The Wanting” was recorded at the band’s studio in Richmond with Phil Ek, who recently produced Fleet Foxes’ new LP, Crack-Up.