New Video: Widowspeak Share Lush and Mesmerizing “No Driver”

New York-based indie outfit Widowspeak — Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas — are one of many bands to crop up in the busy local scene around the time I started this site, almost 16 years ago. They started out shuffling their gear between now, long-shuttered — and deeply beloved — venues like Glasslands, Cake Shop, 285 Kent, Death By Audio and a lengthy list of others, and their practice space at Monster Island Basement, which now is a Trader Joe’s. New York has fucking changed, y’all. Speaking of changes: the duo is now a married couple, working day jobs in their own off-season. Thomas is a carpenter, Hamilton a waitress.

Recently, the duo announced that their highly-anticipated seventh album, Roses will be released June 5, 2026 through Captured Tracks. Deeply informed by their respective day jobs, Roses isn’t populated with dramatic overtures, but with the backdrop of the minutiae and repetition of daily acts. There’s the small observations before, during and after work: the ritual-like act of pouring water or coffee for customers, the bemusement and frustration of catching a cold on your only day off. Maybe you’re daydreaming about your life if you won the lottery — or maybe realizing that you already won.

The 10-song Roses was recorded last January at the Old Carpet Factory on the Greek Island of Hydra, a studio located in an old house, tucked into the village’s steep hills. During the winter, without the rush of tourists, it’s quiet. Longtime touring members Willy Muse, John Andrews and Noah Bond were the session backing band.

The album’s material was then taken home and slowly, lightly tinkered with before being mixed by Alex Farrar at Drop of Sun Studios and mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering.

Throughout the album, intimate spaces and stages of love are captured with a nostalgic, almost sepia-toned, vaseline coated lens. As always, the beating heart of their work is the interplay between Hamilton’s languid, dreamy and textured delivery and Hamilton’s bluesy, visceral guitar work.

Roses‘ will include the previously released “If You Change,” and the album’s second and latest single “No Driver.” “No Driver” is a lush, cinematic tune anchored around earnest, seemingly lived-in lyrics and the seemingly effortless craftsmanship that the band has long been known for. Of course, as always the stars of the show are Hamilton’s gorgeous, dreamily mesmerizing vocal and Thomas’ soulful, Crazy Horse-era Neil Young-like guitar work.

The song “is about knowing and loving people, who seem to thrive being on autopilot, at least for a while. It’s written from the perspective of trying to be supportive, and knowing it can be kind of magic when you’re in it, but also just waiting patiently for whenever they’re ready to move on from destructive behavior,” says Widowspeak’s Molly Hamilton. “I also kind of wrote it to my younger self. I’m 1000% on the other side of my wilder years (quit drinking almost seven years ago and now have a baby) but I definitely felt aimless for a long time. I care now, and caring about things and people and having a reason… is the whole point.”

“The video riffs on ‘Jesus take the wheel’; that’s it, that’s the concept,” Hamilton says of the accompanying video. “We have our friend Gary Canino from Dark Tea playing a Driver who’s kind of feeling the weight of the world, and Jesus (Johnathan Chriest) takes over as he goes about his night, dropping off the Mysterious Business Lady (Moira Spahić) and then picking up a couple other passengers. Kind of a ragtag group of people, Jesus driving them home.”

Widowspeak will be embarking on a recently announced summer run of tour dates across the States that kicks off with a June 16, 2026 stop at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Today, they announced a late-fall run of UK and European dates between November and mid-December. Tour dates and ticket information is below.

Tour Dates

Tickets

06/16 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

06/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s

06/19 – Washington DC – DC9

06/20 – Mount Solon, VA – Red Wing Roots Festival

06/22 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House

06/23 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl

06/24 – Nashville, TN – Third Man Blue Room

06/26 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry

06/27 – Milwaukee, WI – The Argo

06/28 – Chicago, IL – Schubas

06/30 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag

07/01 – Toronto, ON – Sound Garage

07/02 – Montreal, QC – L’Esco

07/03 – Boston, MA – Arts at the Armory

07/30 – Seattle, WA – Barboza

07/31-08/02 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon (Festival)

08/04 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill

08/07 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room

08/08 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room

08/09 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar

08/11 – Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery

08/12 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive

08/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge (Psych Lake City Festival)

08/15 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club

08/16 – Spokane, WA – The District

Nov 12th – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

Nov 13th – Dublin, IE @ Workmans Club

Nov 15th – Glasgow, UK @ The Rum Shack

Nov 16th – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room)

Nov 17th – London, UK @ Scala

Nov 18th – Lille, FR @ La Bulle

Nov 19th – Paris, FR @ LePopUp!

Nov 22nd – Milan, IT @ Arci Bellezza

Nov 23rd – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F

Nov 24th – Munich, DE @ Milla

Nov 25th – Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse

Nov 27th – Prague, CZ @ Café V Lese

Nov 29th – Warsaw, PL @ Chmury

Dec 1st – Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club

Dec 2nd – Hamburg, DE @ Hebebuhne

Dec 3rd – Malmö, SE @ Plan B

Dec 4th – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik

Dec 5th – Stockholm, SE @ Hus 7

Dec 6th – Oslo, NO @ John Dee

Dec 7th – Copenhagen, DK @ Rust

Dec 9th – Utrecht, NL @ DB’s

Dec 10th – Kortrijk, BE @ Wilde Westen

Dec 11th – Hasselt, BE @ AFF

Dec 13th – Tilburg, NL @ Hall of Fame

____

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. 

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.