Sleater-Kinney have announced a full-length recreation of their 1997 album ‘Dig Me Out’, to be comprised entirely of covers by the likes of Courtney Barnett, St. Vincent, Wilco, The Linda Lindas, TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, and many more.
Though a concrete release date is yet to be announced, the band have confirmed it’ll land sometime in the summer. It comes in celebration of the original album’s 25th anniversary – their third full-length effort, ‘Dig Me Out’ was released on April 8, 1997 via the Portland-based indie label Kill Rock Stars. It’s long been considered Sleater-Kinney’s breakthrough album, sporting some of the band’s most revered material.
The band are also yet to unveil the tracklisting of their new compilation, only teasing that it features “some of our closest friends and admired artists”. Among the other names shared in a teaser for the record are Big Joanie, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Low, Margo Price, Self Esteem and Tyler Cole. If each act covers one song from ‘Dig Me Out’, there remains just one yet to be revealed.
Also confirmed was that a portion of the proceeds earned from each copy sold will be donated to SMYRC (Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center), which the band note is their local LGBTQIA+ youth centre in Columbia County, Washington. According to the organisation’s website, SMYRC “provide a safe, harassment-free space for queer and trans youth ages 13-23, where you can create art, play music, and join in on our open mic nights, drag shows, and support groups”.
Though they’ve been quiet in recent months, Sleater-Kinney had a mighty busy year in 2021. In addition to their 10th studio album, ‘Path Of Wellness’, the band embarked embarked on a lengthy North American tour with Wilco, and released their ‘Live At The Hallowed Halls’ EP. Co-frontwoman Carrie Brownstein also starred alongside St. Vincent in her “bananas art film” The Nowhere Inn, and began work on a biopic about Seattle rockers Heart.
In a three-star review of ‘Path Of Wellness’, NME’s El Hunt said the album could be “a little on-the-nose”, but highlighted its relevance in the landscape it was released, saying: “Sleater-Kinney perform this magical sleight-of-hand that few artists can manage – they find words for humanity in all of its flawed chaos”.
