The Session, the New Orleans based jazz band whose debut This is Who We Are earned the band a decent amount of critical acclaim, is set to release another album on August 16, following 2015’s Live At Snug Harbor. 

Composed of bassist Jasen Weaver, trumpeter Steven Lands, pianist Andrew McGowan and drummer Darrian Douglas, the band started by playing practice jam sessions on the University of New Orleans Campus and performed together as Jason Marsalis’ Vibes Quartet.

Releasing via Bubble Bath Records and titled Collusion, the new album will address themes of political divisiveness and the disheartening sense of disunity which the band feels in relation to the nation’s political climate. “Our first two records were not political in nature,” said Douglas. “When we created those records, the world was different, and so were we.”

With songs like “Kelly Ann Con Artist,” a scathing indictment of contemporary political punditry, and “Bigly,” a humorous, bass-heavy track that pokes fun at the president’s adverbial foibles, there’s no doubt that Collusion is an album of political protest. But, with songs like “Monk Dancing on the Levee,” an experimental mixture of Thelonious Monk’s style with the light hearted spirit of New Orleans, and the single “The Return of the Session,” which the band released on June 20, the band is also cementing its place as a consistent and creative force in the jazz scene. 

“When people listen to our music,” said Douglas, “We hope that they are transported to a place where peace, love and honesty reign supreme. It is our hope that they feel empowered to create even greater works than they could have ever dreamed. We also hope that we inspire people to question themselves and search for deeper meaning. We believe that if we achieve this, we have given the world a gift that will live on.”

It’s that same search for deeper meaning that inspired the band’s forthcoming album, a collection of smart and passionate jazz music that the band hopes will inspire its listeners.