"There’s such a wonderful diversity of genre on display across Souls Extolled’s new album, but each track is unmistakably theirs. They don’t shy away from the big topics with their lyrics and use poetry and imagery to great effect to make their points." - York Calling

Austin, TX – Torchbearers of the Austin Indie-Punk scene, Souls Extolled have proven time and time again that the dedication they bring to their craft is unmatched. With the release of their newest album Soulsex, the band is proud to announce a few dates including their record release party and vinyl release party!

While continuing to build momentum off their latest album, “MMXXII,” which garnered nationwide attention on its merit in 2022, the band has released their fourth studio album Soulsex, out now and available everywhere you stream music. Save "Soulsex" here.

It is their most personal and eclectically-inspired album to date, and the obvious choice to deem it their self-titled collection, opting for the band’s preferred shortened version of their name – SoulsEx. In discussing the personal weight behind the album, vocalist Zach Black commented, “We feel like the album captures perfectly the meaning of the band. Souls Extolled has always meant a celebration of our souls, spirits, or unique consciousnesses through music or art in general.” On the intimate significance felt by this accomplishment, Black goes on to say “If this is the last music I ever release, I’m absolutely ok with that. This is the album for me.”

Recorded in their hometown of Austin at the historic Bubble Studio under the guidance of local mastermind Chris “Frenchie” Smith, the history of the artist’s musical roots was ingrained in the recording process on a molecular level. Determined to integrate an indie, Avante-Garde feel into the production, the bandmates felt an immediate connection to the studio’s production style and a deep respect for Frenchie. This connection allowed for the producer to push them in ways they could not have imagined creatively. Upon reflecting on the recording process and final product, Black remarked “It was not only ‘us’, but it was an ‘us’ packaged and polished in a way we felt other people would get as well.”

Most evident on the debut single “The Cut,” which pushes the limits of the artist’s adrenaline-pumping proclivities. A fast-paced powerhouse of the album, anchoring the central themes of rebelliousness and individuality throughout the record. Featuring a hypnotically rhythmic beat, grungy vocal enthusiasm, and aural embellishments that pay homage to the pioneers of the genre, it serves as a personal tribute to growing up in the Austin counterculture scene. Another standout song is “Vanguard,” a satirical take on the superficiality of social media culture, with Black reflecting, “ It’s about how everyone wants to be, or pretend to be, some kind of badass influencer, rock star. “

“Triumphant Monsters,” the second single off the new album, is a melodic anthem with a skank-reggae chorus, the energy is hard to overlook. The lyrically-motivated track seeks to give commentary on the absence of morality so often seen in those who pursue wealth and power, and holds a light up to society for the platform we give to those who value their own success over the greater good. “Fathers Before” was written during a rare outing with Black’s father, amidst the towering California redwoods, he reflected on the interpersonal and socio-political failings of his generation while urging Black and his generation to strive for better; the song’s thumb-and-fingers picking rhythm evokes a medieval, Eastern European folk quality, and true to Souls Extolled’s rock roots, it crescendos into a spirited jam outro—because, after all, this is a rock band!

“Johnny TFC” was created from a jam session where sonically the band created ‘the filthiest thing we could play’ —a chaotic, contagious mess. Black recalls, “Also I should add… JP and Joe are like music-band nerds, and for one of the breakdowns designed an off tempo structure that’s counted 3-7-2-5-4. They really get off on this, and we think maybe it could be like the band's number or secret code, to put on T-Shirts or something.” Lyrically they wrote a story around “Johnny” a crazy-misled-charlatan-preacher-school-shooter hybrid character, with a Tin Foil Crown.

“A Star Is Born” began as a reflection on Black’s wife Paige’s battle with cancer and grew to encompass broader tragedies like those in the Middle East and Ukraine, questioning why suffering befalls the undeserving, before closing as a heartfelt love letter to his now cancer-free wife. The band blends RATM-inspired verses, Pearl Jam-style choruses, a cinematic guitar breakdown, and a tender indie-rock finale reminiscent of La La Land. “Gold” is a standout single released ahead of the album, Zach Black comments, “I’m a huge fantasy-sci-fi nerd, and for ‘GOLD’ I found inspiration in fantasy literature, using imagery and themes from Stephen King’s book ‘Fairy Tale’ to denote how our journey through life teaches us to discern what’s really important, and how in doing so we become the hero of our own story.”

As a whole, the album showcases Souls Extolled's musical range. Its design threads the needle between paying homage to the influences of their genre and defining their own individual sound through the band’s commitment to technique and poetry, coupled with a nuanced sensibility.

While their fans have shown a great deal of support for the new album, Soul Extolled is excited to return the sentiment to their own Restless Kind with a grand release and celebrate this milestone. In support of the album the band will be performing select dates throughout Texas including their record release party on January 16th at Hotel Vegas, and the vinyl release party on March 29th at Valhalla! The full show schedule is below with more dates coming soon.

Soulsex is out now and available everywhere you stream music! Save "Soulsex" here.

Zach Black, JP Ortiz, Joe Valadez, and Andy Leonard, along with their production dream-team at 512 Studios are proud to present Souls Extolled’s third record MMXXII. Art, like the artists that produce it, is a product of its time. As such, these songs are a reflection of this moment in time for the members of Souls Extolled and were made without any limitation or rule other than to express themselves honestly through the music. For them, this is the standard of true art. Their spirits are in these songs, and they sincerely hope that they can enrich your life this year. Praedicari Animarum

Souls Extolled’s second studio release “Seraphic War” is a concept record about spiritual, cultural, and political revolution. It tells the story of humanity losing, or perhaps making its way using ideas from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, The Satanic Bible, Revolutionary Theory, and folklore such as that of The Lord of the Rings. The majority of the record fuses proto-metal, psychedelic rock, and ska punk through a balanced and concise formula that is the bands’ sound. However, the band remains eclectic with rap rock, indie, and folk flashes that highlight their appetite for ingenuity. “Mary” is the intro song of the record and shows a new more pleasant indie-folk side of the band before falling into a medieval sounding rock thump. Vocalist Zach Black says that he tried to write this song about weed, but ended up using classic folk images like witches, magic, and plundered cities to tell the story of humanity turning away from its dogmatic religious nature. The next song “Seraphic War” kicks in with a Deep Purple style guitar jam and Pink Floyd -esc choruses laying out the theme of Seraphic War, the war between Satan and God as a metaphor for our current existential and political predicament. With “Beelzebub” Black incarnates Satan’s right-hand man as a powerful demon wanting to temp humanity into restlessness and creation as well as defeat angels and conquer them sexually. The song features a heavy lead bassline from JP Ortiz, spooky vocals, and a well-placed ska punk tag. “Inside You” is a raging ska punk jam that personalizes the experience of spiritual and political oppression and calls for revolution against the institutions of power in both regards. “Allegiant Swine” continues this theme with a more indie twist and focuses on the bands personal experiences with police brutality in light of recent events. Finally, “Revelation” caps the record with the bands unique blend of ska punk and rock, and the theme of finding growth and understanding in these matters through struggle. The band is confident about their work on “Seraphic War” and is extremely excited to share it with rockers around the world!

The inaugural Souls Extolled album begins with the song that started it all for Souls Extolled, 'Follow the Ghosts'. Reminiscent of Black Sabbath-esc proto-metal with a modern psychedelic flare and rock reggae accents, the song uses the biblical story of Moses and the Burning Bush as a metaphor for existential struggle. The bands songwriter Zach Black says the meaning of the song is ultimately, “be spiritual”. “Don’t run from those existential feelings. Rather, embrace them.” This is one of the major themes of the 'Follow the Ghosts' album. The third track 'Mutations Sake' highlights the reggae-rock side of the band as the lyrics contemplate suicide and play on the trope of sun worship, struggling with the irony of something that is essential to life yet harmful to it as well. The first single off the album 'Release' also plays on this theme, but takes a straight classic rock approach, and ties the meaning of existential struggle and spiritual expression to rock music itself. Another big element on 'Follow the Ghosts' is the general celebration of rock, occult, and psychedelic culture. The music encourages listeners to embrace vice, altered states of consciousness, and the entire range of spiritual light and darkness as a means of liberation and free expression, as well as a gateway to connection, love, and understanding. The second track 'Black' is a poetic autobiography of Zach Black himself, with every verse beginning “Black like a…”. Black paints an image of himself as a prophet of indulgence and dark spirituality. “You can trade in all your time for the moment. I am here to show you”. 'Garden of Eden' mixes the bands ska punk influences with classic psychedelic rock and celebrates the biblical story of the Adam and Eve in The Garden as a victorious event of human liberation. 'Touch Me (Fuck Me)' is a pure ska punk garage rock jamn with extremely forward explicit lyrics. The last two songs of the record take a slight indie rock turn. 'Hear My Call' hangs on a straightforward guitar hook with Modest Mouse-esc lyrics in the verses and expresses frustration with God or the lack thereof. 'The Restless Kind' is a jolly Strokes-like tune basically saying Carpe Diem. “You’re living your dreams, or so it seems. No more waiting. Set yourself free”. At live shows, the band always plays this song last, and Zach Black says something like, “We call ourselves and all the people who listen to our music The Restless Kind. This song is about ya’ll, for ya’ll”. The guys believe that those who really connect tothis record are the same kind of existentially restless people as the band, struggling in the search for meaning, truth, and connection. Souls Extolled dropped this album to packed house at Empire Control Room in the Red River District of Austin, TX in September of 2019. Since then they have rocked these songs all over Texas and the United States, in some of the country's most prestigous venues. These songs have been aired on local and regional radio stations alike, and featured on an array of major playlists, blogges, and music press like local morning shows and podcasts. In hindsight JP, Joe, and Zach are extremely proud of their first album and everything they accomplished with it. They feel it’s a great foundation for the themes of the band and the range of genres they cover. If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a listen! And FOLLOW THE GHOSTS