More than a decade after fans first fell in love with his lo-fi, no-frills approach to covers, Paul Dempsey is finally giving the people what they want: Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II, set for release on October 24th.
The Something For Kate frontman has always approached cover songs with a blend of reverence and reckless abandon, stripping them back to just his voice and an acoustic guitar. No overdubs. No studio polish. Just the raw, in-the-moment energy that made his 2013 Shotgun Karaoke album such an unexpected gem. Volume II is no different, except this time, Dempsey is doubling down on the challenge.
“Transposing keys bothers me,” he admits. “By forcing myself to sing it in the original key, I am forcing myself to do things with my voice that may be well out of my comfort zone.” It’s a borderline masochistic move, but it’s also what gives Shotgun Karaoke its charm: the imperfections are part of the deal.
The album’s first taste is a cover of Cher’s iconic “If I Could Turn Back Time”, which Dempsey delivers with the kind of deadpan conviction that turns karaoke-night bravado into something intimate and quietly powerful. The full tracklist swings wildly across genres and decades, from R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” to Tanita Tikaram’s “Twist In My Sobriety” and Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”, making for a playlist that sounds a little like a Spotify algorithm with an existential crisis.
Like the first volume, Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II was recorded at home in the in-between moments, which is exactly how Dempsey likes it. “There are mistakes and imperfections, and they belong there just like they belong at a karaoke night,” he says. “How boring would perfect karaoke be?”
If the album is a stripped-back nod to spontaneous creativity, the artwork leans into Dempsey’s love of iconic pop culture covers, this time riffing on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, following the Hunter S. Thompson homage of Volume I.
Dempsey will take the show on the road for a national Shotgun Karaoke tour in October and November, promising a night that’s “just a party, just like karaoke should be.” In addition to songs from both volumes, fans can expect deep cuts from his vault of live covers, the kind of rabbit hole you can lose an afternoon in on YouTube.
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For an artist renowned for his cerebral songwriting, Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II feels like a pressure valve release — a space where Dempsey can embrace the ridiculous, learn a few things, and have a laugh at his own expense. “Maybe I’m just avoiding my own writing,” he jokes. At least he’s honest about it.
Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II is out October 24th.
Shotgun Karaoke Volume II Tour Dates
Tickets on sale Friday, August 8th at 12pm local time via pauldempseymusic.com
All shows all ages.
Friday, October 31st
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Friday, November 7th
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Friday, November 14th
Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane
Saturday, November 15th
Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Saturday, November 22nd
Palais Theatre, Melbourne
