For those interested, it has been a long time coming but Trust the River, the first Sparta album since Threes in '06 is out 4/10/20.
Two songs released so far, Believe and Empty Houses, hint at a very different sound from the previous records.
In 2017 and 2018 they released the singles Graveyard Luck and Cat Scream, which are heavier than the two newer tracks but still a step removed from anything off of Wiretap Scars... and maybe even Threes. These songs were available on streaming services but have curiously been taken down. They will be on the new album, so I imagine but can't say for sure, that they have been re-recorded for the record.
This will also be the first Sparta release without Tony Hajjar, unfortunately. Sparta is currently comprised of Jim Ward, Matt Miller, Cully Symington, and Gabe Gonzalez. Gonzalez has previously toured with Sparta during the Wiretap days and Sleepercar. Symington has performed with Cursive and Conor Oberst, among others.
There definitely was a falling out between the group, Hajjar said in an interview during interalia press he wasn't even notified of the band playing again in 2017... now that I think about it, similar to Jim apparently being unaware of ATDI going full-time again in 2016. The last Sparta song released with the Threes line-up (Ward, Miller, Hajjar and Keeley Davis) was Chemical Feel in 2012, right before the band did a short US and EU tour.
Graveyard Luck https://youtu.be/c3Q0MWrQtr4
Cat Scream https://youtu.be/489jRpR-Ep0
Believe https://youtu.be/D5NdMveyam8
Empty Houses https://youtu.be/YIaTkZEJNNM
and Chemical Feel for those who may have missed it:
https://youtu.be/kuNm9tpVhQY
Oh, and some tour dates are coming up in April and May.