It's been 20 years since the release of Cracker's self-titled album, but despite the band's longevity, multiple gold records, worldwide tours, accolades for their nine studio albums and ever-growing fanbase, the band's two creative fountainheads - Johnny Hickman & David Lowery - aren't entertaining any nostalgic trips down memory lane this year with career spanning best-of collections or reissues.

Instead, before the band regroups in the studio for their next Cracker effort in 2013, Hickman will be releasing his long-awaited sophomore solo album, 'Tilting', on July 3rd through his own label imprint Campstove Records.

As Hickman explains, "Personally, all my favorite records and bands have been those that don't flatline into one tiny sub-genre (Beatles, Kinks, Radiohead, Petty, Neil Young...). When I write, I just do it and don't worry about it. As David [Lowery] and I always say, the only real rule in music is 'don't suck.'"

The album's title Tilting is tied to one of Hickman's favorite countries, Spain, and it refers to Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote. "I sometimes feel like the impassioned madman with his lance trying to slay the windmill giants," Johnny reveals. "I think a lot of people do in these troubled times. The idea of battling these mighty, unbeatable foes both real and imagined is disturbing yet darkly amusing to me."

A free download of the song 'Measure of a Man', taken from forthcoming album, 'Tilting', is available from;

http://soundcloud.com/pavement-pr/johnnyhickmanmeasureofaman