New Lemonheads Album Love Chant Out October 24th on Fire Records
Evan Dando releases Love Chant through Fire Records on October 24th. It is the first Lemonheads studio album since Varshons 2 in 2019, and the first album of original material since The Lemonheads in 2006. The album was produced by Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Apollo Nove and recorded primarily in Brazil, where Dando has lived in recent years.
Release Date: 2025-10-24
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop
Label: Fire Records
Description: Evan Dando returns with Love Chant, the first Lemonheads album in 19 years. Out October 24th via Fire Records with J Mascis and Juliana Hatfield.
The album includes contributions from J Mascis, Juliana Hatfield, and Tom Morgan, who co-wrote “Deep End.” Producer Bryce Goggin worked on the record alongside Nove. Erin Rae appears on “The Key of Victory,” which was co-written with David Ashby of Rum Shebeen and features a vocal recorded at Abbey Road Studios. John Strohm of the Blake Babies co-wrote and played guitar on “Togetherness Is All I’m After.” Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond wrote and performed on “Roky,” and Adam Green of The Moldy Peaches co-wrote “Wild Thing.”
Dando describes “In The Margin” as a song built around riffs, with the core written by Marciana Jones. He calls it “a full-on 8th grade girl revenge song.” “The Key of Victory” uses modal structure and features Rae’s harmonies over Nove’s guitar. Dando cites Lou Reed’s Street Hassle as a reference point. “Deep End” includes a guitar solo by Mascis. “Cell Phone Blues” and “58 Second Song” shift between jangle and western swing. The title track draws on The Modern Lovers, and “Togetherness Is All I’m After” ends with a whispered vocal line.
Fire Records has cleared four tracks for pre-release radio airplay: “Deep End,” “In The Margin,” “Togetherness Is All I’m After,” and “The Key of Victory.” The remaining tracks are embargoed until the release date.
A memoir, Rumours of My Demise, will be published by Faber on November 6th.
Dando formed The Lemonheads in Boston in 1986 with Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. The band’s early albums appeared on Taang! Records before signing to Atlantic Records in 1990. It’s a Shame About Ray (1992) and Come on Feel the Lemonheads (1993) brought wider attention, with covers of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” and Rick James’ “Big Gay Heart” reaching radio. Dando became the sole consistent member, working with rotating lineups that included Hatfield, Morgan, Nic Dalton, Patrick Murphy, and Bill Gibson. The band went quiet in the late 1990s, with Dando pursuing solo work and dealing with substance issues documented in his memoir. The Lemonheads reformed intermittently from 2005 onward, releasing The Lemonheads in 2006 and two covers albums, Varshons (2009) and Varshons 2 (2019). Dando moved to Brazil in the 2010s and has maintained a lower profile while continuing to write and perform.
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