King Cardinal, ‘Gasoline’ [Exclusive Premiere]

In advance of the release of their debut full-length album, King Cardinal are giving The Boot's readers a sneak peek at one of its tracks. Press play below to hear "Gasoline."

With a lush, but simple, melody, "Gasoline" highlights King Cardinal founder Brennan Mackey's vocals, accented subtly by harmonies and instrumentation from his bandmates, Scott Roush, Ben Waligoske, Andrew Porter and Texanna Dennie.

""Gasoline" is about someone who wants to better themselves but continues to get into the same rut no matter where they are or what they're doing," the band tells The Boot. "You can move to a new place, but you'll still be you when you get there."

Essentially, the song is the opposite of what led to the formation of King Cardinal: Mackey "moved to Denver on a whim," after living in Chicago and working in finance.

"I knew exactly what the rest of my life would look like if I stayed there," he recalls. "I decided I wanted to throw everything up in the air and see where it landed."

King Cardinal was originally a moniker for Mackey, mostly solo; that's what listeners hear on King Cardinal's self-titled debut EP. That project, though, attracted fans and fellow artists, which led Mackey to bring on his bandmates and record a second EP, Once a Giant.

For their debut full-length disc, Great Lakes, King Cardinal worked with Grammy Awards-winning producer Ted Young, who invited the band to Sonic Ranch in Texas to record. They put the record together in one week.

“There’s something special about having four or five people in a room all totally focused on one single creative goal,” says Waligoske. “Most of my favorite albums were recorded that way, and that’s the way Ted likes to work, too. I think that’s part of what makes the record so exciting.”

Great Lakes is due out on Sept. 29. Visit KingCardinal.com for more information on the band, the record and upcoming tour dates.

Listen to King Cardinal, "Gasoline":

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