Hear Aaron Lee Tasjan’s ‘Ready to Die’, From Upcoming ‘Silver Tears’ Album

Indie-folk rocker Aaron Lee Tasjan is set to release a new album, Silver Tears, on Oct. 28, and in advance of the project's debut, he's shared one of its tracks, "Ready to Die." Readers can press play above to watch the tune's official video.

"Ready to Die" mixes Tasjan's impressive vocal range with some hard-rocking country guitars for a gritty, reverb-filled song. In his first single, "Little Movies," the Ohio native tapped into dreamy synths and pop-fueled hooks to create a fascinating commentary on the way we create fictionalized versions of ourselves for the outside world. That song is sweet as candy and infectiously catchy -- in many ways, the polar opposite of Tasjan's new release -- but, steeped in traditional country blues that hearken back to the days of Hank Williams, "Ready to Die" makes its mark in a new, but no less indelible, way.

"Don't care about tomorrow / I stay up all night / Howling in the darkness / I saw the light," Tasjan sings, telling a story of escaping a life of sin through drastic measures. "Well, I'm ready to die / For a worthy cause / It's 'cause I'm tired / Of living bad / One of these days, gonna lose my mind / Can't wait to see what that'll help me find / I've been sitting on the couch with the house on fire / Gonna be one hell of a funeral pyre."

While the music video for "Little Mirrors" features saturated colors, fairy-tale carousels and a flashing suit of mirrors, the video for "Ready to Die" matches the song's hard edges in an equally perfect form. The stark images and grainy footage complement Tasjan's raw vocals, creating a vibe that seeps off the screen and sticks with you long after the video is over.

"Ready to Die" is one of 12 other tracks on Silver Tears, Tasjan's debut release with New West Records. The full-length LP is the Nashville-based singer's second solo album since stepping out on his own in 2013; prior to that, Tasjan honed his songwriting and performing skills with the glam-rock band Semi Precious Weapons and a late incarnation of punk-rock pioneers the New York Dolls. While his solo music takes a decidedly different turn, Tasjan's musical influences remain vast, including Harry Hilsson, Randy Newman, Elliot Smith and John Prine.

Fans can pre-order Silver Tears via PledgeMusic; a full track listing is below. Tasjan will join the Felice Brothers and Lydia Loveless for a string of tour dates that run through the end of 2016 and into the new year; visit his website for more details on those upcoming shows.

Aaron Lee Tasjan, Silver Tears Track Listing:

1. "Hard Life"
2. "Little Movies"
3. "Memphis"
4. "Dime"
5. "Ready to Die"
6. "Refugee Blues"
7. "Till the Town Goes Dark"
8. "On Your Side"
9. "Success"
10. "Out of My Mind"
11. "12 Bar Blues"
12. "Where the Road Begins and Ends"

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