Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz

Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, the post-fusion rock trio featuring guitarist and principal songwriter Ribot, alongside bassist Shahzad Ismaily and percussionist Ches Smith, have announced the release of their fifth album. Dubbed Connection, the new batch of music is due out on July 14 via Knockwurst. The group shared the title track as a preview of the impending release.

Declared by Ribot via press release as “the best record we’ve ever done,” Connection presents listeners with an array of approaches to the rock canon, featuring special guests such as singer-songwriter Syd Straw, keyboardist Anthony Coleman, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, organist Greg Lewis, clarinetist Oscar Noriega, and cellist Peter Sachon.

“This song’s (and the album’s) title began with a sculpture by our friend (and Ceramic Dog bassist Shahzad Ismaily’s daughter) Anika (age 6),” Ribot offered. A kind of house made by sticking toothpicks into Halloween candies. It’s an odd-shaped house, kind of like the frame of a geodesic dome…if it wasn’t a dome. The little structure is home to a drawing of a smiling gingerbread man. Very homey. But, as we all know, it was the gingerbread man’s problematic home that caused him to ‘run as fast as he can.’”

“And what struck us about this home, apart from its odd beauty, was the fragility of its toothpick design, in which Anika perfectly captured the fragility of our contemporary attempts at human connection, the shadow hanging over our post-everything ‘homes.’ Everything else, the words, and the beat — which, music nerds take note, lays a 4/4 drum beat on top of a 3/4 melody — came later. Thanks, Anika,” ended Ribot. 

Paired with today’s album announcement is the group’s title track, “Connection,” a  loose, lo-fi instrumental inspired by the history of Lower East Side noise rock from Velvet Underground and White Hassle. In addition to the first single, Ceramic Dog will support their new batch of music on the road with their first tour in more than half a decade in North America and Europe. 

Pre-order Connection now. Stream the title track here.