The Devil Whale have their priorities in order

Shows June 11, 12, and July 18

  Brinton Jones is single, jobless and about to turn 30—in other words, he’s living the dream. Some folks squirm when a pivotal year comes knocking, but Jones isn’t headed for a breakdown. “If I was married with kids and had never played music, the thought of getting older might be stressful,” he says.

Instead, come August, the Utah singer/guitarist will blow out another candle in Michigan while on tour with his band, The Devil Whale. In late June, they’ll hit the road in support of their new EP, Young Wives, before going to Washington state to finish a follow-up to their 2008 debut, Like Paraders.

They’ll return to the capable hands of engineer Shawn Simmons, whose attention to detail offsets their instinctive rush for completion. Simmons’s space, Seattle-based Litho Studios, is an ideal environment for capturing big, immediate sounds, Jones says. “The place is large enough to let us all play together and try out different things live, which helps with the energy of the recording.”

Jones, along with longtime collaborator and bassist Jake Fish and drummer Cameron Runyan comprise The Devil Whale’s core. Two years ago, they worried about filling the void left by departing bassist Marcus Bently. Since then, members have come and gone, and with each absence the band grows less concerned with the fluctuating lineup.

Mostly, they’re more confident all around, committed to touring and a weekly practice schedule that has, not surprisingly, honed their chops tenfold. With increased musical prowess came newfound creative avenues The Devil Whale explore on Wives. The album has a nice, raw quality with added guitar and lyrics that trade some of Paraders’ romantic inclinations for healthy skepticism and paranoia. Where Paraders’ brought us sweet lines like “Your love is butter for burns,” Wives kicks off with “The End isn’t coming/It’s got buyer’s remorse,” shortly followed by another track comparing friends to barracudas. Wives also makes good on Jones’ recent heightened sense of melody.

“If you have a good melody, people will forgive recording quality, they’ll forgive vocal performance and lyrics,” he says.