Sgt. Splendor (featuring Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden) talks with The Weekly Record just days before their sophomore record comes out called 'Death of the Hoochie Koo.' The new album is available via Buena Vista West Records on Friday, May 19th.  Special thanks to Color Red for connecting us for this episode.  PRE-ORDER the new record HERE. Watch the music video for the single "Heavy Be the Borrowed Crown HERE.When presented with the opportunity to break in a new studio at the same location the Grateful Dead recorded their first demos, most seasoned musicians would seize the chance to create at the sacred grounds to soak in the spirits of one of the most sought-after acts in modern music history. When Joby Pritzker and Aaron Vermut built The Jam Cave and co-founded Buena Vista West Records, they invited Sgt. Splendor, the New York City-based power duo of Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden to christen the new space alongside iconic engineer Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Iggy Pop). During a 3-day recording session, what was initially anticipated to yield one or two singles turned into a full-length album, Death of the Hoochie Koo, coming out on May 19th via Buena Vista West Records.Vargas and McFadden were joined by Danny Eisenberg (keyboards), Michael Urbano(drums, auxiliary percussion), Mike D (bass), and Paulo Baldi (drums) who helped bring the songs to life and flesh out the song structures in the studio. “Lips Are Moving” provides social commentary for people in positions of power who habitually and unapologetically never seem to say an honest word. Rather than approaching the song with dark and heavy-handed commentary, the lyrics are addressed through the lens of a character who is unbothered—moving through the world with a calm smile calling it for what it is and never letting it get them bent out of shape.Sgt. Splendor is coming off of a string of performances during Jazz Fest in New Orleans and will be celebrating the release of Death of the Hoochie Koo with festival appearances at Joshua Tree Music Festival (May 19th), and BottleRock Napa Valley (May 26th). The album can be pre-ordered on vinyl HERE and CD HERE. For more information and to learn more, visit: sgtsplendor.com.