It happened last week with little fanfare and not even a sizeable amount of Spotify streams. But it mattered to this writer and countless others. Denver, CO’s former chart-toppers The Fray emerged from a decade-long hiatus and armed with a new singer released new music. And hot damn it’s a winsome little slice of heartland Americana that just might write a fantastic new chapter for the once ubiquitious piano poppers. So what exactly happened to The Fray? Here’s the most concise version of that narrative.

In 2016, after releasing a greatest hits project and still reeling from poor sales from their synth-pop effort Helios (the album was arguably their weakest but also their most daring) frontman Isaac Slade felt a need to withdraw from touring and the rigors of being a full-time musician. He cited mental health concerns and a need to want to be with his family more. All valid reasons. But many felt it would pass. The strange thing is the rest of The Fray still wanted to tour.

Principal songwriter (musically) Joe King (who relocated to Nashville) swiftly announced a solo project King that was phenomenal and that later morphed into Union Moon, which was arguably even stronger than King. Slade relocated to Vashon Island, WA and subsequently bought and now owns a record store (editor’s note: I’ll probably visit it before I’m 50). The band barely toured, if at all, between 2016 and this year, save for a one-off date in 2022 in the northern Chicago suburbs that marked Slade’s final performance with the band (editor’s note: this writer had tickets to attend but later sold them and now regrets that).

And then last week happened. The band dropped a new single “Time Well Wasted”, an acoustic-led effort that feels much more in line with something you might hear from The Lumineers than say The Fray circa 2010. And while Slade’s powerhouse vocals will be missed, Joe King is not exactly a slouch for a frontman. Heck, he wrote most of the band’s hits (just not lyrically). And then there’s this: King usually took lead vocals on at least one song on each of the band’s albums dating back to How to Save a Life (editor’s note: this writer still thinks “Ungodly Hour”, which King sings might be one of the best Fray songs of all time. Ditto for “Heaven Forbid.”).

A press release circled last week that a new EP (comically titled The Fray is Back) is due out in September and the band is about to embark on a pretty sizable tour. One thing is for certain, this is an exciting and dazzling new chapter for The Fray and this blog is eager to capture every new milestone that comes their way.

The band’s tourdates can be seen below:
July 31 – Deschutes County Fair – Redmond, OR
Aug. 2 – Basilica Block Party – Minneapolis, MN
Aug. 10 – Missouri State Fair – Sedalia, MO
Aug. 16 – Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, LA
Aug. 23 – Lassen County Fair – Susanville, CA
Aug. 30 – Disney World – Orlando, FL
Aug. 31 – Disney World – Orlando, FL
Sept. 27 – Lincoln Theatre – Washington, DC
Sept. 28 – Parx Casino – Bensalem, PA
Sept. 30 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
Oct. 1 – Orpheum Theatre – Boston, MA
Oct. 3 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
Oct. 4 – The Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL
Oct. 7 – The Echo Lounge – Dallas, TX
Oct. 9 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 10 – The Bellwether – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 12 – August Hall – San Francisco, CA
Oct. 14 – The Grand Room @ The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct. 17 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
Oct. 18 – The Truman – Kansas City, MO
Oct. 20 – Brooklyn Bown Nashville – Nashville, TN