Aerosmith fans have new music to listen to, thanks to legendary bassist Tom Hamilton, who returns with the debut full-length release by his new band, Close Enemies.
The Close Enemies album hits the shelves Friday (Mar. 13) and fans can preorder the record now. UCR is pleased to present an exclusive preview of the entire album that you can listen to below.
The group’s lineup features Hamilton on bass, guitarists Trace Foster and Peter Stroud, drummer Tony Brock and vocalist Chasen Hampton.
As Hamilton tells UCR, material for the album came together in a surprisingly effortless and organic way. “We sat around in Peter’s basement and there’s just something about that room. We put up a couple of mics and got these amazing drum sounds,” he says. “All of the guitar and bass tones were right there. I came in with a rough demo of a song that I’d had in the back of my head. Everybody listened to it and then immediately, everyone started contributing these beautiful parts to it. By the end of the day, we had this beautiful track that I couldn’t believe.”
READ MORE: Hear Close Enemies’ ‘Sound of a Train’
You’ve Heard Close Enemies on Your Favorite Records
Hamilton with Aerosmith, ’nuff said. Brock is the thunderous sound that’s still ringing inside your eardrums from albums by the Babys, Rod Stewart, Steve Perry, Eddie Money and many others. Stroud, similarly has amassed numerous credits starting early on with Pete Droge and is well-known for his work with Sarah McLachlan and Don Henley, but has also been a mainstay collaborator with Sheryl Crow.
Close Enemies’ other six string threat, Foster, has spent years running around the globe with bands like Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, working with both Hamilton and Joe Perry and also, as Angus Young’s right hand guy in AC/DC. Cheap Trick, Melissa Etheridge are just a couple more names on his lengthy resume. Hampton is the glue vocally, bringing a chameleon-like quality to the sound of the group. He’s a veritable shapeshifter who helps to guide the listener on quite a journey across the 10 tracks on Close Enemies.
Hear the Full ‘Close Enemies’ Album Right Now!
If the album is a dying artform (we’ve heard that line before), the members of Close Enemies are working hard to bring it back and roped in songwriter Gary Stier (the “secret weapon,” as they term his role) to help with that quest. “Take a Pill,” the latest single, arrives today as the newest example of their combined efforts.
“There’s so much I think that song really reflects about where we are in our ages now,” Stroud shares with UCR. “I think anybody in our age range can respect that song. The lyric can be misinterpreted, but it’s more about okay, it’s so easy to take something just to change your mindset or depression, whatever the case may be. Oh well, I’m just going to escape from it, you know? So there is that element of it and it is very tongue in cheek at the same time.”
Watch Close Enemies’ ‘Take a Pill’ Video
‘This is Like Going Back to the Beginning’
Close Enemies has been out playing live for more than a year now. They made their debut with a hometown show in Nashville. As Hamilton told UCR not long after that concert, he actually had some butterflies going into the experience.
“I was a little bit nervous, you know. But that feeling, it energizes you. It doesn’t hold you back. It makes you want to dive in deeper and deeper.”
Speaking via Zoom, he was visibly excited about the road work ahead. “This is like going back to the beginning,” he said then. “You know, we don’t have any previous albums. We’re going to be riding around in vans, probably and flying commercial, just like when Aerosmith started — and I’m looking forward to that. There’s a certain camaraderie with that.”
“I can remember that first show in Nashville like it was yesterday, and I clearly see the difference in this band since then,” Stroud reflects. “Obviously, everybody are great players. We can pull off a one-off show easily.”
“But the difference between now and then, in the tightness, the cohesiveness and the energy between all of us, is night and day,” he adds. “That first show was a lot of fun, but there is no replacing just getting out there and playing night after night.”
READ MORE: Watch Tom Hamilton Play First Show With New Band, Close Enemies
Building the Band, One Song at a Time
While touring regularly, the members of Close Enemies have shared a total of six tracks from the album. They deliberately slipped the new music out song by song, giving fans a chance to get to know the band, both live and on record, before releasing the full album. All involved have relished the opportunity to build the band up at a reasonable pace without rushing anything.
“Aerosmith, we had our period that we started developing a following, and then after that, we were established,” Hamilton tells UCR. “Every time we went into a record, there was a pressure on to make sure everything is good or better than the last one, and there was a lot more of the business being part of the process. With Close Enemies, we were starting from from scratch. So we didn’t have that pressure of the business being part of it.”
Watch Close Enemies’ ‘Rain’ Video
The Song That Lit an Important Fuse
“‘Rain’ was the one that where was like, ‘Okay, all cylinders are firing,'” Stroud tells UCR. “I realized we had this whole concept happening that no idea gets tossed aside. Everybody comes in and and we work together on these songs. You know, the songs came together really fast, at least in their initial stages. And we still have another ten songs beyond these that we had started on.
“I finally had to put the brakes on it and say, ‘Guys, we’ve got to finish these initial ten songs and get the record done,” Stroud remembers. “When we’d hear them, even in their demo form, I was like, ‘Damn, this is good! This will be a lot of fun!’ We approached it in the right way from the beginning, by not giving a bleep about anything other than playing what we want to play in the way we want to play it.”
Close Enemies
What Can You Expect at a Close Enemies Concert?
Of course the band will continue to tour this year so fans can hear songs from the new album, in addition to some old favorites, both from Hamilton’s time with Aerosmith and Brock’s history with the Babys.
On the Aerosmith side, they’ve pulled out deeper cuts like “Seasons of Wither” and “Sick as a Dog,” in addition to highlighting Hamilton’s signature work on the classic “Sweet Emotion.”
“I was too young and inexperienced to know whether it was something that would be a hit or not,” he remembers. “I just knew it felt really good to play it.”
Even now, as he looks back at the experience of crafting “Sweet Emotion,” he can find a parallel with what he’s doing presently. “I kept working on it and came up with the parts that are in between the verses, where it rocks out and then it goes back to the verse,” he shares. “Then in the middle, it goes back to the intro with that bass riff again. Those elements are a lot of what matters as far as what I love in Aerosmith’s music and also, now in Close Enemies.”
Indeed, listening to moments from this new Close Enemies album, like “More Than I Could Ever Need,” it’s not hard to hear why the legendary bassist continues to connect with bringing new songs to the surface.
Listen in and chances are good that you will also hear why the members of Close Enemies are so excited about the connection they’ve forged.
The Close Enemies album arrives Friday, Mar. 13. Fans can preorder the new record now.
Watch Close Enemies’ ‘More Than I Could Ever Need’ Video
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Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
