Richard Thompson is preparing to release his 20th solo studio album, according to Pitchfork. The British guitarist’s new record, Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes, is due out October 16 through New West.
The album follows Thompson’s 2024 project Ship to Shore. Its lead single is the bar-rock track “Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking,” which is already available to hear.
In a press statement, Thompson said he enjoyed spending long stretches demoing songs at home and working in his basement. He also said he bought a drum kit so he could make more complete demos for the band.
Thompson added that this approach helped bring more of his own identity into the finished album. Pitchfork also noted that a 2020 box set collected the full discography of Richard and Linda Thompson, and that he reissued his score for Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man in 2022.
