Sheer Mag have announced their third album, Playing Favorites, which is due out on March 1st via Third Man Records. The band also shared the album’s title track as a single, and unveiled details for a headlining North American tour next spring.

Sheer Mag first envisioned Playing Favorites as a four-track EP in the summer of 2021, but it grew to become a full project as the band explored the themes of the songs and felt they deserved full-length presentation. “Those first four songs came out of a hard moment in life for all of us collectively — they kind of felt like an attempt to figure out how to have fun when you actually feel miserable,” guitarist and lyricist Matt Palmer said.

From there, Sheer Mag spent 2022 and 2023 crafting Playing Favorites, drawing on their decade of experience to write material that didn’t shy away from their darker sides, but embraced uplifting, energetic rock. “Nobody seems to write straight up rock bangers anymore,” vocalist Tina Halladay said. “More than anything else, we want this record to put huge, catchy songwriting front and center.”

Continuing, Halladay explained the evolution the band has undergone in making Playing Favorites. “Those first few records felt like a personal coming out party, they felt like they were an introduction to me and my life story,” she said. “With these new songs, I feel like I’m finally able to move past that — there are parts on this record that I couldn’t imagine being able to sing 10, five, or even three years ago.”

Sheer Mag is pairing the announcement of Playing Favorites with the release of its title track, which arrives with a music video capturing footage of their tours and live show. The song places Halladay’s soaring vocals over a bed of guitars, with a classic anthemic chorus. “After nearly ten years of touring together, we felt qualified to write a song about doing it,” the band said in a statement. “It’s a good introduction to the next era of Sheer Mag.” Watch the video for the song below.

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In August, Sheer Mag shared the single “All Lined Up,” which also appears on Playing Favorites. This winter, they’ll wrap up their 2023 tour with three dates opening for Baroness.

Playing Favorites will debut on March 1st, 2024, with pre-orders ongoing. Later that month, Sheer Mag will embark on a headlining North America tour, stopping in cities like Nashville, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and more. Tickets for the shows will go on sale on Friday, November 10th at 10:00 a.m. local time, after which they’ll be available here.

Playing Favorites Artwork: