King Cardinal joined DJ Jules on KGNU for a live in-studio performance and conversation about their upcoming third album. The band shared that they are releasing the record in a nontraditional way: making the full album available immediately on their website and Bandcamp (pay-what-you-want, with vinyl), while releasing songs gradually on streaming platforms. They discussed the album as a creative shift from their earlier Americana-folk sound, embracing more experimentation, textures, synths, and collaboration. The band performed several new songs, including Waste My Time and Cracks in the Sidewalk, and announced their album release show at the Bluebird Theater, along with a community scavenger hunt for free tickets via their Instagram.
(Air Date 1/13/26)
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Transcript:
DJ Jules:
Ooh. That was beautiful, guys.
King Cardinal:
Thank you.
Yeah, no, thank you.
DJ Jules:
So where can the KGNU listeners and the community find this new song?
King Cardinal:
We’re releasing this album a little differently than we have in the past. That song is already on streaming, so you can find it there.
DJ Jules:
Okay.
King Cardinal:
But we’re not putting the full album on streaming right away. We’re releasing one song a month from it. The album will be available on our website and on Bandcamp to download and to get the vinyl starting tomorrow.
DJ Jules:
Tomorrow?
King Cardinal:
Yes. Tomorrow. Wednesday the 14th.
DJ Jules:
There we go. KingCardinal.com.
DJ Jules:
Amazing. So that’s where they can get the full shebang in its entirety.
King Cardinal:
Yes.
DJ Jules:
But they won’t be able to get it on streaming platforms.
King Cardinal:
No. We’re not giving Spotify the pleasure and the glory of it.
DJ Jules:
The pleasure of taking your music?
King Cardinal:
No.
DJ Jules:
Okay, so what was the idea behind that? Is there more to it?
King Cardinal:
A little bit. We want to retain some of the value of the record ourselves. A lot of people are releasing a single every month, but we wanted to put the full record out and give everyone the opportunity to get it. We’re doing a pay-what-you-want model on our website.
DJ Jules:
Okay.
King Cardinal:
If you want it for free, you can get it there, which is essentially the same as streaming. But people are coming directly to us. The download includes all the liner notes, high-quality files, MP3s, WAVs, and a little message from me.
DJ Jules:
Very nice. Is this a standard King Cardinal album? How did this record come together? I see some head shaking — radio listeners can’t see that, but I did.
King Cardinal:
I’ll let Jonah handle that.
King Cardinal:
If you’re familiar with our music, there will be plenty of familiar threads. But there’s also more experimentation and growth as a group. When artists get to their third record, things start to shift. It’s not that we don’t enjoy what we’ve done before, but after navigating the first phase of songwriting, there’s a desire — and a freedom — to see what else is there. Sonically and texturally, we’re pushing into some new territory. It’s definitely a bit of a departure from the first two records.
King Cardinal:
It’s not as Americana-folk as our previous records. When we were choosing songs this morning, we realized a lot of them are tough to do acoustically. There are more samples, synths, and layered elements. We picked the ones that translate well for radio listeners with an acoustic guitar.
DJ Jules:
I love everything you just said. You’re talking about breaking away from earlier records and trusting curiosity, and I’m over here wondering if we’re talking about music or life. Just trusting it and seeing what you can create.
King Cardinal:
Absolutely.
Totally.
DJ Jules:
So we heard one new song, and now we’re going to hear two more. Is that right?
King Cardinal:
That’s right.
DJ Jules:
What’s this next one called?
King Cardinal:
This next song is Waste My Time. It was the first single off the record and has been out for a little while, so you can find it anywhere.
DJ Jules:
All right, let’s go.
[song performance]
DJ Jules:
Wonderful. Thanks, guys.
King Cardinal:
Thank you.
DJ Jules:
I like that — “Come waste my time.” That’s very “let’s go.”
King Cardinal:
That was very much a COVID song.
DJ Jules:
Mm.
King Cardinal:
We do have a video out for that song. The focus is Brennan riding in a motorcycle sidecar with a wonderful dog named Lava in his lap, cruising around the streets of Boulder.
DJ Jules:
I love it. What kind of dog is Lava?
King Cardinal:
She’s hard to explain — kind of like a lab with really short legs.
DJ Jules:
Aw.
King Cardinal:
She’s very cute. She has two different colored eyes. She’s an odd-looking dog, but in the best way.
DJ Jules:
We love odd-looking dogs.
King Cardinal:
We love her so much.
DJ Jules:
Hey KGNU listeners, if you’re just tuning in, we have King Cardinal here in the studio performing live. Can you remind folks what’s happening this week?
King Cardinal:
Our album release show is this Friday at the Bluebird Theater with Travis McNamara and Nina DeOs. It’s going to be a blast.
DJ Jules:
And there’s something fun you’re doing for the community.
King Cardinal:
We’re doing a scavenger hunt for tickets. We’ll hide them somewhere around Denver, probably near the Bluebird Theater. Follow our Instagram stories and posts for clues.
DJ Jules:
You can’t just take a picture of the exact spot — you’ve got to give clues.
King Cardinal:
Exactly. Maybe we’ll leave a physical map.
DJ Jules:
Stopping at Atomic Cowboy for biscuits?
King Cardinal:
Exactly.
DJ Jules:
I’m in. I’m going on the scavenger hunt.
King Cardinal:
The Instagram is @KingCardinalBand. All the info will be there.
DJ Jules:
Perfect. Let’s keep moving and get into the next new song.
King Cardinal:
This next one is Cracks in the Sidewalk. The recording features Julie Davis from Blue Book. She sang on my favorite Nathaniel Rateliff record, In Memory of Loss. She’s incredible — definitely check out Blue Book if you haven’t. This song is Cracks in the Sidewalk.
[song performance]
DJ Jules:
Okay, you’ve got me over here with tears in my eyes. That was hauntingly beautiful.
King Cardinal:
Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.
DJ Jules:
I tried not to cry, but it happened. That was lovely.
King Cardinal:
Thank you. Thank you.
DJ Jules:
You mentioned someone sang with you on that track. Do you have a lot of guest artists on this album?
King Cardinal:
Yes. Each song has a different cast of musicians. Jonah, Ben Wadowski, and Kramer are the core people across the record, but each track brings in different collaborators…
