NEW YORK (AFP) - The Boss is back in town: Bruce Springsteen will release his first new album in five years this June, promising a return to his signature ruminations on the American condition.

His 19th studio album Western Stars, set for release on June 14, draws inspiration from southern California pop classics of the 1960s and 1970s.

"This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements," Springsteen said.

The 13-track album includes "a sweeping range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope", the 69-year-old said.

Western Stars - whose cover art shows a horse with a glossy brown coat galloping across the desert towards the horizon - is Springsteen's first studio album since 2014's High Hopes that followed 2012's Wrecking Ball.

It also comes months after the artist closed his wildly successful run on Broadway, a 236-concert residency that ended in December after several renewals.

The intimate show - which is now on Netflix - became one of Broadway's most coveted tickets, with resale prices running upwards of US$1,000 (S$1,360).