Clutch unveil banjo-led new single Beware The Fever ahead of Wasted Lands
Clutch have released Beware The Fever, the latest preview of their forthcoming fourteenth studio album Wasted Lands, due on 22nd January 2027 through Weathermaker Music.
The track follows The Drifter Returns and the album’s title track, taking the band into ghost-town territory with a suitably ominous tale shaped by the industrial decline and supernatural folklore of Appalachia and central Pennsylvania. It also marks a first for Clutch: Neil Fallon plays banjo on the recording.
Watch the video here or stream the single here.
Banjo, drum loops and a massive chorus
Fallon said: “They’re the perfect backdrop for all manner of strangeness. Beware The Fever started out as a lark. I played some random melodies on a poorly tuned Deering Goodtime banjo and JP put a hip-hop beat to it. I thought that would be the end of it. Boy was I wrong.
“As a result of this, I now spend a lot of my free time watching banjo tutorial videos and the algorithm is really pushing AARP benefits and retirement properties in the Ozarks. Beware!”
Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster added: “The music for Beware The Fever came to life in what I believe to be record time for our band. It started with one of those pre-recorded drum loops. This time Neil recorded some banjo parts first. He followed up with some electric guitar and then bass to create the massive chorus.
“The whole process took less than 20 minutes. I loved the music right away. I remember listening to the instrumental demo over and over again wondering what Neil might sing on it. It was months later while in pre-production with Machine that we finally heard those amazing lyrics: ‘Beware the fever running through town.’ This song is easily one of my favourites on the record. The banjo you hear on the album is from that first demo Neil played in the Doom Saloon one afternoon in January of 2026.”
Machine returns for Wasted Lands
Written and recorded at the band’s Frederick, Maryland headquarters, the Doom Saloon, Wasted Lands reunites Clutch with producer Machine for the first time since 2015’s Psychic Warfare. The record is their first full-length since 2022’s Sunrise on Slaughter Beach.
The 12-track album is set to pair the band’s familiar riff weight with more melodic, chord-led songwriting. Its full track listing is below.
- The Drifter Returns
- Stage Fright
- Loaf ’N Jug
- High Class Action Lawsuit
- Chestburster
- Beware The Fever
- Wound Collector
- Colorado Fuel And Iron
- Streets Are His
- The Green Skull
- Wasted Lands
- The Message Is Clear
Pre-order the album here. Physical editions include standard black vinyl, cassette and CD, alongside exclusive coloured vinyl variants. A blue vinyl edition will be available internationally through HMV in the UK.
Give The People What They Want US tour announced
Clutch will support the album with the Give The People What They Want 2027 US headline tour, beginning in Honolulu in February and closing at Brooklyn Steel on 4th April. Corrosion of Conformity, Agnostic Front and Chuck Ragan join the headline dates, excluding the Honolulu show and the Mojave Experience festival appearance.
- Fri 5 Feb – Honolulu, HI – The Republik
- Sat 27 Feb – Green Bay, WI – Epic
- Sun 28 Feb – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
- Tue 2 Mar – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
- Wed 3 Mar – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
- Fri 5 Mar – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
- Sat 6 Mar – Chicago, IL – Ramova Theatre
- Sun 7 Mar – St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
- Tue 9 Mar – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
- Wed 10 Mar – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
- Fri 12 Mar – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
- Sat 13 Mar – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
- Sun 14 Mar – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
- Tue 16 Mar – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
- Wed 17 Mar – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
- Fri 19 Mar – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
- Sat 20 Mar – Joshua Tree, CA – Mojave Experience at Joshua Tree Lake & Resort
- Sun 21 Mar – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
- Tue 23 Mar – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
- Wed 24 Mar – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
- Fri 26 Mar – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
- Sat 27 Mar – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
- Sun 28 Mar – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
- Tue 30 Mar – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
- Wed 31 Mar – Richmond, VA – The National
- Fri 2 Apr – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
- Sat 3 Apr – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- Sun 4 Apr – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
Australian dates follow album release
Clutch will also head to Australia in January with Corrosion of Conformity for a short run that includes an appearance at Froth & Fury Festival.
- Sat 23 Jan – Perth – Metropolis Fremantle
- Mon 25 Jan – Brisbane – Eatons Hill Hotel
- Wed 27 Jan – Sydney – Enmore Theatre
- Fri 29 Jan – Melbourne – Forum Theatre
- Sat 30 Jan – Adelaide – Froth & Fury Festival
