The Afghan Whigs Announce Soft Control, Share "Jungle Roux"

The Afghan Whigs have announced Soft Control, their 10th studio album, and shared a new single called "Jungle Roux." Consequence reports that the album is due August 21 on Royal Cream and BMG, and the official visualizer for "Jungle Roux" is live now.

That matters because the Whigs are not just tossing a single into the algorithm after a nostalgia lap. The band are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, and Soft Control sounds positioned as the next actual chapter: 10 tracks, 37 minutes, and a record trimmed down from 22 songs tracked across studios including Fireside Sound in Joshua Tree and Marigny Studios in New Orleans.

The guest list is small but pointed. Consequence notes that former drummer Patrick Keeler appears in a cameo, with vocalist and violinist Petra Haden and My Morning Jacket keyboardist Bo Koster also involved. That is a useful signal for a band whose best work has always treated soul, danger, and alt-rock swagger as parts of the same machine.

Greg Dulli framed the record around a less combative kind of self-possession, saying in the release, "I’ve worked hard on my inner peace." He also connected that shift to photography, other art forms, and a quiet confidence that does not need competition as fuel.

"Jungle Roux" is the second song released from the album cycle, following "House of I." It is also a better announcement single than a band this deep into its run usually needs to make: tense, smoky, and rhythmically alive, with Dulli still sounding like he is narrating from the most dangerous corner of the room.

The band also announced a fall tour split between Europe and North America. The official Afghan Whigs tour page says tickets for the newly announced dates go on sale Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. local time, with Side Stage Experience and Soundcheck Q&A Experience VIP packages available through ticket links. Ed Harcourt supports the European dates, and Night Moves joins the North American leg.

A 40-year band announcing a 10th album can easily turn into ceremonial maintenance. This feels more alive than that. If Soft Control follows the pressure and poise of "Jungle Roux," the Whigs may have found a late-era pocket that suits them: older, meaner in texture, and less interested in proving anything to anybody.