McCaslin Dahle Unveil Massive Debut Single ‘Henry Takes The 5th’ From Upcoming Album ‘MXD’
Donny McCaslin and Ryan Dahle are finally making their creative collaboration official.
While the duo has been orbiting each other since McCaslin’s 2018 album ‘Blow,’ the announcement of their debut full-length, MXD, marks the arrival of a genuine art-rock powerhouse. Arriving May 22 via We Are Busy Bodies, the project is preceded by the lead single ‘Henry Takes The 5th,’ a track that manages to be both gargantuan and intimate.
The origin story feels like a relic of a bygone era: a veteran New York manager playing matchmaker. What started as a remote vocal session evolved into a touring partnership that saw the pair move from sweaty Vancouver clubs to grand stages with the Metropole Orkest. For MXD, they stripped things back to the bone, starting with dry Sibelius demos to ensure the songs worked as blueprints before letting the band tear the roof off.
‘Henry Takes The 5th’ is the perfect mission statement. Inspired by a chat with McCaslin’s young son, it captures that specific childhood wonder where a trip down the block feels like an odyssey. It’s heavy and wide-screen, anchored by panoramic drums and McCaslin’s signature “skybound” saxophone.
The record features a murderers’ row of talent, including Blackstar alumni Tim Lefebvre, Jason Lindner, and Mark Guiliana. With Dave Fridmann on mixing duties, the result is a psychedelic, maximalist experience that ignores genre boundaries. It’s not quite jazz, it’s not quite prog-pop, but it’s undeniably vital.
Headline photo: David Calderley
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