Pioneering punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls have announced the release of Yes, Virginia… (Tailor’s Version), a completely re-recorded edition of their landmark 2006 sophomore album. Arriving digitally, on CD, and vinyl on Friday, August 7, the newly fashioned title playfully nods to Taylor Swift’s reclamation of her early masters following the conclusion of the duo's 20-year contract with Roadrunner Records.
The announcement is heralded by the immediate release of "Backstabber (Tailor’s Version)," alongside an exclusive social media sound for "My Alcoholic Friends." The original version of the latter track recently earned singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Viglione their first-ever RIAA Platinum certification, having amassed over 250 million worldwide streams.
Recorded almost entirely live at Boston’s Mad Oak Studios, the project reunites the band with original sound engineer Paul Kolderie and longtime collaborator Benny Grotto. The tracking features guest appearances from global jazz sensation Veronica Swift and double RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon.
The updated collection sees the duo exploring familiar themes of identity, addiction, capitalism, and social isolation through a more mature lens. "It feels like we’re both far more sophisticated and nuanced musicians now," Amanda Palmer reflected. "We have more grace as collaborators, we leave more sonic space for one another. We’ve been a live band for twenty-five years and clocked our 10,000 hours on stage; now we can get out of the way of the songs themselves and let them breathe more deeply."
Palmer noted that the lyricism remains strikingly vital in 2026, touching on topics like abortion rights and the creep of fascism. "The challenge in the studio was to capture something that’s always moving. The recording didn’t need to be perfect, quite the contrary: it had to feel alive and urgent."
To celebrate the release, the band will embark on a world tour this autumn. The European leg kicks off on September 1 in Vienna, before heading to the UK for two highly anticipated dates at Manchester's Albert Hall on September 10 and London's British Airways ARC on September 11.
