Interview: Jim Bob on releasing two albums on the same day

May 3, 2025

Jim Bob talks to us about his upcoming new music, Carter USM anniversary releases and more:

Congratulations on your epic gig at Shepherd’s Bush last month. It was fantastic. What are your reflections on the night?

Thank you. The week leading up to it I was convinced I was going to lose my voice. I had a cold or something and was struggling with my voice at rehearsals. And then the fear set in. Waking up at 2am testing the high bit of my voice. Seeing if it was still there. Gargling Aspirin and not talking. This happens to me a lot before big gigs. People have told me it’s psychosomatic, but it certainly feels real and very physical. About halfway through the forty-song set it was quite uncomfortable to sing. Like a sandpaper lining in my throat. The next day I couldn’t even muster a squeak. In a way though, with hindsight and a lot of relief, my act of selfless heroism added to the enormity of the occasion. It really was a special night.

You announced at the gig that you will be releasing two albums on the same day in August. That’s very exciting! What can you tell us about them?

Yep. ‘Automatic’ and ‘Stick’. Two separate albums. Not a double album. I like to think either of them are good enough to have been released as a new album on their own. That they would both stand up independently of each other.

What was the thinking behind releasing two separate albums on the same day? Bright Eyes did the same 20 years ago (can you believe it’s been 20 years?). Was that an influence on you at all?

That means I’ve been a Bright Eyes fan for 20 years. ‘Take It Easy (Love Nothing)’ from the ‘Digital Ash In a Digital Urn’ album is the first Bright Eyes song I’m aware of ever hearing. They used to play it on 6 Music and I was never sure whether I liked or hated Conor Oberst’s voice. Then quite soon I realised I loved it. He’s now in my top ten all-time singers. I didn’t exactly steal the idea of releasing two albums on the same day from Bright Eyes but when I thought about doing it, I did say to my manager Marc, “Like Bright Eyes did”. The main thing I got from the Bright Eyes albums is I wanted to make two different sounding records. ‘Automatic’ is the full band record. Not too far removed from the last album. ‘Stick’ is a simpler, punkier thing. In your face guitars, not many chords and some shouting.

Can you tell us about the creative process behind your new records? Did you write/record them separately, specifically with two different LPs in mind? Was that always the plan?

I’d written the songs and recorded the demos for what would become ‘Automatic’. Initially, I was just trying to think of how the hell to sell another new album when fewer people than ever want to buy physical music. We talked about another free covers album, a live DVD, posters, calendars, all that sort of stuff. I’d half started a new song called ‘Art’, about an Edgar Degas painting that made me cry. I wondered if I could write another ten songs. Write them really quickly. After a few drinks me and Marc had decided that would be the new album’s USP. Two new albums.

Obviously, I realise that putting out two albums does the complete opposite to solving how to sell one album. It compounded the issue. Literally doubled the problem. But it keeps things interesting. And it’s better to fail big than not try at all. We recorded both albums at the same time. Swapping between them, depending on the mood of the day in the studio.

Will there be a tour to celebrate the release of the albums? I recall it being announced that there wouldn’t be a tour in 2025. Maybe in 2026?

No tour this year. Just the two record shop album launch gigs in August. If gigs could be organised quicker, there would have been an ‘Automatic’ and ‘Stick’ tour. But tours have to be booked so far in advance. I move too fast for the music business. I often don’t know what I’ll be doing in a year’s time or whenever. How can I book a tour for it? I just looked at my calendar so I could answer these questions more accurately. A month before the ‘Where Songs Come From’ book was published, I’d just finished recording demos for a new album (‘Automatic’) and been at a meeting to discuss writing another album to release at the same time. Perhaps the normal or sensible thing to do would have been to wait for the book to come out and focus on that for a while.

I would definitely like to do some shows next year, where we get to play some of the new stuff live. Maybe not 40 songs this time though.

Before the new Jim Bob albums come out, there is the Worry Bomb 30 anniversary release. Do you enjoy revisiting the old Carter records for these kinds of releases?

I signed just over a thousand of them yesterday. They look great. I particularly like what’s been done with the CD version. A little box with so much stuff in it. Extra CDs of extra music, live stuff, a DVD and a poster. I’m happy with the process of putting these albums out again, mainly because the bloke in charge of the project at Chrysalis is so enthusiastic and into making sure it all looks and sounds great. Him and Marc Ollington really put the hard work in. Me and Les just write a bit for the sleeve notes and check the artwork a hundred times once it’s all done.

Are there any songs on Worry Bomb that you feel differently about (for better or worse) than you did three decades ago?

I’ve always thought I didn’t like the album, but it’s actually mostly great. There are some lyrics that I’m not super proud of. But I won’t draw attention to them.

Last year’s Where Songs Come From book was brilliant. Given how well it was received, do you reckon you’ve got a follow-up in you with stories behind some of the songs that weren’t featured in the book?

I’m not sure. I think I might have used up all the available stuff for the image pages. I might have to fake some handwritten lyrics if I wrote another one.

You’re always great at recommending stuff for our readers. What have you been watching/reading/listening to so far this year?

On TV I’ve just finished three seasons of ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, which I loved. I also watched ‘1883’ and ‘American Primeval’. Similar brutal shows about the birth of the American West. Which was the last thing I remember taking any interest in before I left school. I’m reading ‘The Night Watchman’ by Louise Erdrich at the moment, which is sort of connected. ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, a memoir by John Harris about his relationship with his son and music, is brilliant. I watch a lot of Kids telly with my granddaughter too. Going to a ‘Bluey’ marathon at the cinema next week.

I’ve been listening to Cameron Winter’s ‘Heavy Metal’ album a lot. He has a voice, that like Conor Oberst’s twenty years ago, I thought I hated at first and now can’t stop listening to the record. I love the latest Father John Misty album and also the live acoustic record he put out recently. At this precise moment in time, I’m listening to ‘Sandinista’ by The Clash. I’ll probably put The Jam on next. Nothing really changes.

Pre-order Jim Bob’s new albums here.

Interview by Bobby Townsend.