Tiny Mix Tapes

Kirin J. Callinan announces 90% covers album Return to Center, out this summer

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Sometimes the covers record is the move of an artist in decline. Sometimes it’s an informal lark. Sometimes it’s the mark of a musician searching the past for the next form their muse will take. In the case of Kirin J. Callinan, who knows, maybe it’s all three?

One thing’s for sure (at least since it was announced today via press release): Kirin J. Callinan’s new album is called Return to Center. It’s dropping June 21 on Terrible Records, and its track list is nine covers plus one original.

One of those covers is the previously released “The Whole of the Moon,” originally by The Waterboys. Another (!) is Callinan’s rendition of “It Takes a Muscle (To Fall in Love),” made famous by Spectral Display (well, not really that famous — Spectral Display’s Wikipedia page is only in Dutch).

Return to Center is the follow-up to Callinan’s 2017 album Bravado. Like every instant-class LP in recording (and recorded) history, the album was recorded in the course of a couple weeks in L.A. It was produced by Francois Tetaz.

Take a listen to “It Takes a Muscle” right over here and check out the video for “The Whole Of The Moon” (directed by Mickey Ratman and produced by Michael Hili) down below.

And heck, while you’re at it, pre-order Return to Center here and keep scrolling for the cover art, tracklisting, and all of Callinan’s upcoming world tour dates:


Return To Center tracklisting:

01. Life is Life
02. The Homosexual
03. Whole of the Moon
04. It Takes a Muscle (To Fall In Love(
05. Pretty Boy
06. Return to Center
07. Rise
08. Signed Curtain
09. You Weren’t In Love (With Me)
10. Vienna

Returns to somewhere:

04.24.19 - Johnny Brenda’s - Philadelphia, PA
04.25.19 - Baby’s All Right - Brooklyn, NY
05.02.19 - Meteor Bar - Windsor, ON
05.03.19 - Monarch - Toronto, ON
05.04.19 - The Ritz - Montreal, QC
05.09.19 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
05.10.19 - Ace of Cups - Columbus, OH
05.11.19 - The Burl - Lexington, KY
05.14.19 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
05.17.19 - Hotel Vegas - Austin, TX
05.18.19 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO
05.21.19 - Lodge Room - Los Angeles, CA
05.22.19 - New Parish Oakland, CA
05.23.19 - Doug Fir - Portland, OR
05.24.19 - Barboza - Seattle, WA
05.25.19 - Static Jupiter - Vancouver, BC
07.02.19 - Pusterviksbaren - Gothenburg, SE
07.03.19 - Sentrum Scene - Oslo, NO
07.04.19 - München Brewery - Stockholm, SE
07.05.19 - Urban Spree - Berlin, DE
07.06.19 - De School - Amsterdam, NL
07.07.19 - The Louisiana - Bristol, UK
07.08.19 - Soup Kitchen - Manchester, UK
07.09.19 - Omeara - London, UK
07.11.19 - Ephemere - Paris, FR
07.12.19 - Pete The Monkey Festival - Normandie, FR
07.14.19 - Iveagh Gardens - Dublin, IE
08.08.19 - Lion Arts Factory - Adelaide, AU
08.09.19 - Croxton Bandroom - Melbourne, AU
08.10.19 - Freo Social - Fremantle, AU
08.16.19 - The Zoo - Brisbane, AU
08.17.19 - Metro Theatre - Sydney, AU