New Jethro Tull: Watch a Music Video for “Sad City Sisters,” from ‘The Zealot Gene’ LP Out in January

Back in July, it was announced that Jethro Tull had signed a new record deal with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music, with plans of a new album titled The Zealot Gene scheduled for release in early 2022. When released, it will be the legendary band‘s 22nd studio album and the first since 2003.

This news has since been updated — in a big way — on Wednesday, with an official music video for “Sad City Sisters” making its debut as a preview of the new album.

New Jethro Tull song 'Sad City Sisters' is out now, watch the video directed by @sampictures here: https://t.co/vpKB0WiiMi#JethroTull #SadCitySisters #TheZealotGene pic.twitter.com/AGHFhbleCZ

— Jethro Tull (@jethrotull) December 8, 2021

As you might expect and/or hope, the track has that classic Jethro Tull sound … that is, Ian Anderson’s steady, whimsical vocals (and interesting lyrics) and plenty of flute work:

Said Anderson of the song in a statement:

“Sad City Sisters throws up memories of a Saturday night in Cardiff, Wales when I was on my way home from our concert in St David’s Hall some years ago. It could equally well have been any town in the UK, I suppose, or even most cities of the Western World. What possesses hell-bent and vulnerable young people to slip so easily into that tragic loss of dignity and end up sprawling drunk in a wet and windy street at midnight?”

Click here to pre-order The Zealot Gene on CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order The Zealot Gene on Deluxe CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order The Zealot Gene on 2-LP from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order The Zealot Gene on Deluxe LP from our Rock Cellar Store

“Sad City Sisters” is the second track shared thus far from the album, following last month’s “Shoshana Sleeping”:

As for the current lineup of Jethro Tull, which has undergone significant changes over the years and currently features only Anderson as far as the “classic” lineup of the band is concerned:

Ian Anderson – Flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
Joe Parrish-James – Guitar
Florian Opahle – Guitar (album only)
Scott Hammond – Drums.
John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards and accordion
David Goodier – Bass guitar

Some additional context regarding the new Jethro Tull album:

A record that began to take shape as early as 2017, ‘The Zealot Gene’, in many ways, seeks to defy convention during a time when the business of being a touring and recording artist has never faced more uncertainties. Tull bandleader Ian Anderson holds no reservations about the role for which the mythos and themes of Biblical storytelling played in the lyrical content of the new album, saying:

“While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness.”