Bozeman, MT-based alt-Americana-tinged bluegrass outfit the Kitchen Dwellers recently announced a new studio album, ‘Seven Devils,’ out March 1, 2024.

Inspired by Dante’s epic voyage through the Nine Circles of Hell, Seven Devils guides the listener through a similar exploration. Each track represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins, while others draw inspiration from “The Divine Comedy,” serving as checkpoints on this musical descent into the abyss. The Dwellers invite the listener to treat this experience as a musical journey inward – to the self. The album was recorded at GBP Studios in East Lansing, Michigan and was recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Grammy winner Glenn Brown (Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass). “We knew going into this project that we wanted to work with someone that was really going to push us,” explains Davies. “Glenn has a way of working the music out of you in a way that is all his own – creating songs out of nothing. Many tunes on this record were written as a result of improvising and trying out different ideas. Each song contains a piece from everyone in the band. Every tune on the record holds musical ideas from each one of us. For this reason, we think it sounds the most like us that any record has.” The quartet—Shawn Swain [mandolin], Torrin Daniels [banjo], Joe Funk [upright bass], and Max Davies [acoustic guitar]—twist bluegrass, folk, and rock through a kaleidoscope of homegrown stories, rich mythology, American West wanderlust, and psychedelic hues.

“We wanted to capture certain things that maybe haven’t been displayed on a record yet”

We are only a few weeks away from your latest album. Are you excited about it?

We cannot wait to put this album out into the world. It is a collection of songs that are meant to be listened to together and we decided to make the whole album a singular piece of art.

What can you tell us about it? What kind of effort went into the making of the new album?

We recorded ‘Seven Devils’ in East Lansing, Michigan with Glenn Brown who has worked with some of our favorite artists including Greensky Bluegrass and Billy Strings. It’s a small space and the work that came from it is reflected by that. We were assisted by some of our very talented friends including Lindsay Lou, Mike Shimmin, and John Mailander just to name a few. Stylistically there is a lot of variety but it is all very Kitchen Dwellers. We wanted to capture certain things that maybe haven’t been displayed on a record yet. It’s cliche to say, but it really is our most collaborative work yet. We’ve only gotten better at understanding each other’s writing and are trying to make something that is powerful and moving.

Are you planning a tour after the album is out?

We’re touring pretty heavily at the start of this year. We’re starting the year with a run through Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. In February we tour the West Coast and in the spring the Midwest and Atlantic. This summer we are doing a Seven Devils, Seven Cities tour that will emphasize some of our favorite venues as well as some new ones to us. We’re ready to start playing this stuff live.

Would love it if you could share some further words about the concept and overall vision behind it?

‘Seven Devils’ is a collection of songs that are all meant to inspire us to look within ourselves. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno and the seven deadly sins, we correlated the songs to match a deadly sin. It’s not meant to give any answers but an attempt to contemplate our human experience and what allows us to keep on going in this ever-evolving complex world.

“We feel like this album captures our “sound” more than others”

How would you compare it to your previous releases? What is the key difference in your opinion?

More time was spent in the studio on this effort than in previous releases. We feel like this album captures our “sound” more than others and more time was spent on the arrangement of the songs. We were able to dig into these songs a bit more and flesh out what really is the magic in each one.

<a href="https://kitchendwellersgrass.bandcamp.com/album/seven-devils">Seven Devils by Kitchen Dwellers</a>

How do you see the relationship between the instrument and the space where the instrument is recorded?

Glenn’s studio has a very distinct atmosphere which really came through on this album. He is pro all the way when it comes to gear and mixing and mastering. Just being surrounded by the quality of gear he has makes you elevate your expectations and attempts. We’ve only played a handful of these songs live, but all of our songs end up getting tweaked when we play them live. It’s a very natural thing for that to happen. Some of the things we did will be hard to recreate!

Looking back, who influenced your playing the most and did influences change during the years?

We all draw influences from everything from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Alice in Chains, to Michael Daves and Chris Thile. The band has always been very heavily focused on Bluegrass, Americana, and Folk traditions. Those are the instruments that we play. But we have had so much other music seep in. Cowboy music, psychedelic rock from the 60’s, electronic music. Each member brings their own tastes to the table.