“The Wilderness (The Color of Gold)” by Luxury

It’s hard to believe that nearly a decade has passed since Luxury’s last album, 2015’s triumphant Trophies. In the meantime, the band members have been involved in various projects, including Lee Bozeman’s A Great Cloud of Witnesses, Jamey Bozeman’s Golf Slang, and Matt Hinton’s Parallel Love documentary about the band’s history. (And of course, three of the band members are Orthodox priests, which means a whole ’nother set of obligations and responsibilities.)

Luxury have occasionally taken to social media to hint at a new album, but now it’s official: their sixth studio album is titled Like Unto Lambs and they’ve released the first single, “The Wilderness (The Color of Gold).” Everything you’d expect from Luxury is present here, from their three-pronged guitar attack to Lee Bozeman’s evocative lyrics (“Woke up in the wilderness/Covered my face with gold”) and effortless croon.

Luxury certainly takes their time releasing albums; as you might recall, a decade passed between Trophies and 2005’s Health and Sport. But I’ll pick quality over quantity any day of the week. Like Unto Lambs will be released on February 1, 2024 and can be preordered from Luxury’s website.

In related news, Burnt Toast Vinyl reissued Luxury’s first two albums — 1995’s Amazing and Thank You and 1996’s The Latest and the Greatest — on vinyl earlier this year.