Hannah Wicklund is "calling all good men" on new album

Hannah Wicklund has released her fourth studio album War On Women; Calling All Good Men.

The record is available directly from Wiklund’s own Strawberry Moon Records on vinyl, on CD and as a digital download.

There is an unapologetically feminist theme to the album, which plays with the idea of lunar cycles and women's supernatural powers.

"As for the corporate streaming giants,” a press release says, "they are receiving one track in track list order on each full moon over the course of one year, as Hannah puts the power back into the hands of artists and music fans.”

According to former Live Nation President, Thomas See, Hannah Wicklund has been a major driving force for change in the industry throughout her career.

"Hannah’s ability to advocate for the music industry is second to none,” he observes. “In 2022, while leading Live Nation’s music venues, I met Hannah at the merch stand at The Capitol Theatre, NY. During that conversation, she spoke eloquently about the financial hurdles artists face while touring and raised a thoughtful question about why venues earn commission on merchandise sales. That conversation stayed with me.

"A few years later we randomly crossed paths again and we picked up right where we left off, back in that same discussion. This time, she highlighted the fact she had been touring since she was 16 years old and was still struggling to pay for hotels and gas. Shortly after, we took inspired action and launched the On The Road Again program, which eliminated merchandise commissions at our clubs across the country and put gas cards and cash in the hands of artists to help with the increasing costs of touring.

"Change only happens when someone is willing to drive the narrative, and Hannah did exactly that.”

FIRST ALBUM SINCE BREAKING FREE

The physical release of War On Women; Calling All Good Men is marked today by the very fitting new single release, ‘Evil Is A Corporation’.

“Evil is like cocaine," Hannah drawls. at the start of what has been described as a groovy, bluesy hip-shaker, nodding to early PJ Harvey, primetime Amy Winehouse and The Cure’s ‘Lovecats’.

“‘Evil Is A Corporation’ was initially done as a demo for fun in Charleston," says Hannah. “I’d met up with engineer Devin Vaughan, a fellow native South Carolinian – who had engineered my first Nashville record years prior when we both lived there – and we dove into that track. As soon as we played it back, I realized the album was underway.

"Crucially, I could hear that the recording was already perfect. It didn’t need tinkering with. Like the entire album, the process of creation was pure intuition. It captures lightning in a bottle. I’d been pondering producers I might want to work with, but it was obvious then that I should produce myself. This song gave me the confidence to finally claim the title of producer that I had long given away to people who had no idea what I truly was capable of.”

Devin Vaughan became the album’s drummer and the pair, with bassist Scott Gould Jr. joining the team, recorded the songs as soon as Hannah wrote them.

“They poured out of me," Hannah says. “For years, I hadn’t finished one song. Every time I tried, I honestly got depressed not knowing how or when they would reach the world. Suddenly, I re-discovered the pure joy of making music. And the more I wrote, the less angry I became. The songs were a place to park my rage.”

War On Women; Calling All Good Men has been described as "a monster of an album that’s both beauty and the beast." Its 13 songs are intended, at once, as a warning and a winner’s lap, "conjured from hell and from the heart."

The record is characterised as Hannah’s "first album since breaking free from an industry which conspired to keep her quiet."

A CALL TO ARMS FOR CHANGE

It follows 2024’s widely-acclaimed The Prize – named Rolling Stone Brazil’s #1 Rock Album of the Year among a wealth of further praise. There are many who feel that record should have sent the long-established, South Carolina-born singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, supernova. Instead, it triggered a years-long battle to retain her rights.

"Her response is a record that’s a call-to-arms for change,” a press release explains. “It’s a gutsy, gripping, rollercoaster ride that ratchets up the drama, shakes with rage and basks in beauty as it shimmies through rock, soul, blues, folk, gospel and pop. It takes in a tale of heartbreak in strange circumstances, lays bare the obstacles Hannah overcame to take back control of her career, and offers hope for the future."

Written, recorded and self-produced on an extremely tight budget, in the latter half of 2025, the tracks are a mix of live takes and well-built studio tracks. Funded completely by her paintings and artwork, War On Women; Calling All Good Men is a very different kind of record. The intention was to be “raw, instinctive and fuelled by passion and a sense of right and wrong.” Listeners will make up their own minds – but what is undeniable is that Hannah Wicklund has delivered an intensely challenging album.

“I want it to be abundantly clear that I am not anti-men," she adds. "These are not just women’s issues; they are society’s issues and finding a solution will involve all of us."

As yet, there are no Irish dates in her upcoming tour, when she hits the UK in October, including a London show at The Lexington..

1st – Birmingham, Institute 2
2nd – Liverpool, O2 Academy
4th – Guildford, Boiler Room
8th – Tunbridge Wells, The Forum
9th – Arlington, Arlington Arts Centre
10th – Norwich, Waterfront
11th – London, The Lexington
14th – Farsley, Old Woollen
17th – Bury, The Met
19th – Edinburgh, Speakeasy
20th – Glasgow, Rum Shack
22nd – Grimsby, Yardbirds

War On Women; Calling All Good Men is available to purchase now on CD, vinyl and digital download via Strawberry Moon Records.