After releasing ten studio albums, the Dave Matthews Band is in a strong position and may perhaps be starting over.

According to guitarist and singer-songwriter Dave Matthews, “the band is really gelled right now.” “At least for the

time being, we’re all putting positive light on one another, having a great time laughing, and enjoying creating music

together.”

In addition to planning a summer tour, the seven members, who include new keyboardist Buddy Strong, published

their 12-track album “Walk Around the Moon” on Friday. This is the band’s first studio album since 2018.

“It wasn’t unnatural, but we came to this place in an interesting way,” Matthews adds. With the intention of finding

some common ground, we’ve had some fun battles that would likely frighten others. And I believe we did.

With tunes ranging from private and modest to brassy and political, “Walk Around the Moon” is a diverse album.

“Break Free” is propelled by a dirty groove, “Monsters” is nostalgic and dark, and “The Only Thing” is a band hit.

The music may be so varied since the majority of the songs were composed during the epidemic while members were

exchanging audio recordings. At first, they had no intention of releasing an album; it simply sort of occurred.

Matthews says, “I’m excited to get this band together in one room and make another record.” “I feel like we haven’t

discovered anything better to do, if nothing else, after making ten, so I’m jumping the gun. It’s likely that everyone

could find employment elsewhere. Thus, it implies that we haven’t parted ways yet.

With their blend of pop, jazz, blues, folk-rock, and funk, the jam band hopes to expand their repertoire, which

already includes seven No. 1 albums and singles like “American Baby” and “The Space Between.”

His son was starting high school, and his daughters were starting college, so the epidemic struck the Matthews

family at a busy moment. Fortunately, the Matthews family managed to flee into the woods next to his house in

Virginia.

The title track, a hallucinogenic journey through a forest, was inspired by that. He sings, “It’s red and blue/I found a

new door inside my head/How could I go to bed/If I had to choose, I’d walk around the moon.”

Madman’s Eyes, a poignant song about gun violence with the words “Don’t sacrifice another child/It’s not black and

white/’Less you’re looking through a madman’s eyes,'” is another standout track on the CD.

The problem is personal for Matthews, who mentioned that his daughters have lost friends to gun violence and that a

local public school has been the scene of a shooting.

He wonders, “How is it possible that my desire to make my kids safer in the world is wrong?” “If I believe there

should be more control, I don’t understand how anyone with a straight face can tell me that I’m somehow against

freedom.”

Matthews has been appalled by the way that loud talking heads on TV and the internet seem to be taking over society

these days and making everything absolute—right and wrong.

He claims that he has always felt that there is a lot more grey in the world. “There is more complexity to everything

than that. Not all of the time are we right or good.

The Dave Matthews Band will get on the road right away. They are starting a tour in Texas that will take them to

more than 20 states on Friday, the day the record is released. Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state hosts their

yearly Labour Day weekend event, which lasts for three days.

Although the band’s live set list is always changing, Matthews says he believes the group is starting over and that

there is a better chance of resurrecting classic tunes.

“Everything is somewhat novel. We look at each other from a somewhat different angle, and I think we’re a little

more adaptable than we have been,” he says. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be on stage at this moment. And

hopefully, that gives the audience more self-assurance as well.

Matthews will continue to perform his herky-jerky shuffles, which one critic referred to as “nerdy dad-rock dancing,”

even if he respects younger performers who use dance in their performances.