News – Page 77 – 7th Level Music

Damu the Fudgemunk becomes first producer to access KPM Archives for new single – “Conversation Peace.”

London-based label Def Pressé is thrilled to announce its exclusive partnership with KPM/EMI to officially open KPM’s iconic music and sound design library for the first time ever. A production music label dating back to 1956, the KPM library contains over 30,000 original recordings of non-commercial music made for licensed use in television, film, radio, or any other media outlet. Ranging from cinematic symphonic themes to bizarre sound effects, elaborate environmental landscapes of computer-synth orchestras to film scores, these licensed recordings, commissioned without the pressure of generating commercial hits, have long been a treasure trove for producers digging for samples. This adventurous undertaking, initiated by Def Pressé in affiliation with EMI Production Music’s hip-hop outfit The Real Fifth, will see a handful of carefully selected composers and sound-excavationists creating all-new records alongside an array of featured singers, rappers, and instrumentalists, to be released by Def Pressé in two forthcoming series: KPM Crate Diggers and KPM Originals.

The KPM Crate Diggers series will consist of new albums by select producers made entirely of samples from the KPM archives, as well as other renowned library music labels including Coloursound, SelectedSound, ThemesInternational, ConroyRecordedMusicLibrary, and Francis, Day& Hunter, all of which Def Pressé artists also have exclusive access to. These releases will be entered into the KPM archives for future use as “library music,” making these producers “KPM Artists” in their own right. The KPM Crate Diggers series will kick off with Damu The Fudgemunk, and see forthcoming releases from JazzyJeff, StroElliot (of TheRoots), J-Live, ChrisDave and many others to be announced in the coming months.

The KPM Originals series will see new albums composed of entirely new, sample-free compositions, released by Def Pressé and added into the KPM catalogue, also for future use as “library music.” Artists confirmed to participate in the KPM Originals series include BastienKeb, CoreyKing, and ChrisDave, with more to be announced in the coming months.

Kicking off the KPM Crate Diggers series is Conversation Peace (out September 3rd), a new album from Damu The Fudgemunk, the Washington, DC-based musician and producer known for his many collaborations with RawPoetic, ArchieShepp, Blu, and others, in addition to his own acclaimed solo work. “The music that would become Conversation Peace began with a trip to KPM’s London HQ in late January of 2020,” says EarlDavis (aka Damu the Fudgemunk). “I had just finished wrapping up post production on my album Ocean Bridges with Archie Shepp and Raw Poetic. As a record collector, I’m very familiar with the legacy of the KPM brand. Listening to the entire catalogue was a history lesson and the amount of great composers and compositions in the recordings was endless. As a producer looking for textures, inspiration and grooves, the abundance of those things made it extremely difficult to narrow down what I wanted to use. From drums to sound FX to orchestras to small rhythm sections to ambient noises, I heard a wide variety of things and they were all so well produced and recorded. The history of KPM and the opportunity to collaborate with the prestigious lineage made the stakes very high for me and I knew I needed to deliver a quality product. It’s an honor to be the first artist to release a KPM Crate Diggers title.”

“Damu the Fudgemunk came to our studio in London to carefully dig his way through the whole KPM 1000 series,” says Peter Clarke of EMI Production Music. “If anyone is in doubt about sampling being an artform, they just need to watch him work! It’s great to breathe new life into all these old recordings, too. And then place it straight back into library music for use in media. Exactly how it was originally intended.”
Listen to “Four Better Or Worse (Pt. 1)” Feat. Nitty Scott by Damu The Fudgemunk

Pre-order Conversation Peace by Damu The Fudgemunk

Developed in the mid-’60s, the now-iconic KPM 1000 series launched the golden years for KPM, with the birth of the “Greensleeves” albums (named after their consistently plain-green record covers). Currently, the classic KPM archives boast over 30,000 original recordings by acclaimed library composers such as Keith Mansfield, John Cameron, The Mohawks founder Alan Hawkshaw, The Shadows drummer Brian Bennett, David Bowie and The Beatles’ collaborator, Alan Parker, and Exotica pioneer Les Baxter. KPM has extensively recorded at studios such as London’s Angel and Abbey Road (The Beatles recorded most of their albums here during the KPM 1000 recording era).

A massive amount of work has gone into taking care of these aged reel-to-reels, vinyl records, and DATs. They have been painstakingly digitized and made available to Def Pressé and the selected artists working on these projects.

“For years, all of these old archive tracks have sat dormant on the LPs—undigitized and only discoverable by those that had copies or had enough money to get them via Discogs or Ebay,” says Paul Sandell, Senior Content and Distribution Manager at EMI Production Music. “There’s a huge amount of pride here at EMI PM about KPM, and the other archive libraries. Not only is this music an important document of television music from the time, but it has a far wider cultural impact – whether from the theme music to a cult TV show, the sleazy funk of an erotic exploitation flick or as music sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Drake, Florence and The Machine, and many more.”

“KPM has always been there with us for as long as I collected records,” says Def Pressé founder Matt Moat. “While digging for records, it would always be a straight pick-up, no need to listen. Their records were collectibles and coveted as such. It was always a dream to somehow be connected with this library in a fuller way. The moment I met Pete and we discussed what EMI Production Music had been doing with the catalogue, I had to dream up a way Def Pressé and our friends could take this stuff, flip it, and end up as ‘Library Musicians’ ourselves. To be able to contribute to the KPM Library means the world to all of us.”

“The relationship between hip-hop and library music has always been strong,” adds Sandell. “But this project really unifies the process between the library and the creative input of the producers. It’s a high five between the two to say ‘look what’s possible’.”

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Wings of Desire encourage us to “Choose a Life” with their new single.

Following last single ‘Better Late Than Never’ (video here), a song about self-discovery, the ever intriguing Wings Of Desire share new single ‘Choose A Life’, plus announce their new EP Amun-Ra to be released Friday 13th August 2021 on WMD Recordings.

Filmed in 8mm pre-covid, the video for ‘Choose A Life’ is meant to feel freeing from responsibility and life in general. Somehow that feels even more poignant now.

One the track, the duo say: “Choose A Life is about our automated programming which convinced us that once we get ‘there’ we will be happy. That once we’ve acquired the material check list we will be fulfilled, but this is never the case. The song explores finding joy in the smaller moments of the everyday, the mundane, those micro expressions that we take for granted. And realising that you don’t have to bend the world to make your mark. That it’s better to just enjoy it.“

Watch the video for ‘Choose A Life’ HERE.

Amun-Ra which is released on 13th August, moves on from the observant nature of debut EP End Of An Age and into a more inwardly focused journey of self-discovery. It is named after the ancient Egyptian deity, the transcendental creator of the universe and the god of light. It represents unlimited and boundless freedom. It explores the trappings of time, ageing, and looks back with a nostalgic glow on past misdealings and successes. Amun-Ra leaves breadcrumbs for anyone growing up and asking the big existential questions on life, lighting the way for the disenfranchised.

Sonically the EP continues the exploration of 60s pop songwriting, noise rock, and euphoric atmospherics, and lifts it into new horizons. Produced by the band and mixed by kindred spirit Vincent Cacchione (Caged Animals). It will include both ‘Choose A Life’, and ‘Better Late Than Never’.

The new EP Amun-Ra is out 13th August 2021 via WMD Recordings

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[Thanks to Amy at Prescription Music PR.]

Morly announces debut album, “‘Til I Start Speaking,” and new single – “Dance to You.”

Visual artist and singer-songwriter Morly (aka Katy Morley) announces her debut album ‘Til I Start Speaking, out August 20th on Cascine, and shares new single/video “Dance to You.” Morley’s soft, swooning strain of storyteller pop has distilled across the past half decade into an increasingly hushed and heartfelt private language, as lived in as it is lyrical. Her debut full-length took shape slowly during stints in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and London, stripping back the melodies to their essence, driven by a yearning to “reach ‘the other side,’ to live in and be art and music.” The songs that emerged are time-worn, aching, and acoustically rich, like hymns or traditionals, traced in piano, voice, and percussion. She describes the creation process as almost a “subconscious exorcism,” casting out old ghosts and outgrown loves.

After establishing her singular style with a series of EPs — In Defense of My Muse (2015), Something More Holy (2016) and Sleeping In My Own Bed (2017) — Morley took some necessary time away from the public eye as she battled chronic illness. She returns now with newfound strength and focused sound. Much of ‘Til I Start Speaking revealed itself as she found herself falling in love with someone across the Atlantic. The Minneapolis-born artist relocated from her homebase in Los Angeles to London this year, joining her partner, who was “a beam of light irrupting into the darkness” of her deteriorating health. The album paints a portrait of realizing you’re in love. It’s also the result of Morley finding herself at the crossroads of graduate school and considering pursuing music full time. Morley felt adrift and estranged from herself, but year by year she’s closed that gap in incremental ways: studying piano, pursuing painting (her artwork adorns the sleeves of her entire discography), unlearning self-doubt, trusting one’s inner voice.

Working with frequent collaborator Christopher Stracey, Morley followed a muse of stillness and naturalism, allowing each composition to flower in its own fluid, elegant way – arriving finally at a sequence he quipped as “nine sleep bangers and a bop.” There is indeed a sensuous, low-lidded mood to this music, as though sung at a quiet hour in an intimate setting, a quality she ascribes to her affinity for conscious listening: “It’s in my own silence that the world really comes alive, and I see the deep connections.” Morley’s voice moves in reflective pools, spotlit but subdued, full of lilts and breathy pauses. The effect is one of patience and hidden wisdom, transmuting sorrow into strength, inspired by her hero Nina Simone’s ability to “take the saddest feeling and alchemize it into joy.”

‘Til I Start Speaking represents a stylistic movement towards organic sounds that was hinted towards in Morley’s previous works, blending her love of classic acoustic songwriting and minimal electronic music. This manifests in new single “Dance to You,” the follow-up to previously released single “Twain Harte.” “Dance to You” opens with piano before expanding with Morley’s soothing voice and a velvety bass line and a mellow beat. Morley elaborates: “‘Dance to You’ is about the need for–and is the vehicle for–a benevolent exorcism. It sprang from an encounter with someone so radiant to me that they helped light my way, but that I had to outgrow in order to see my own brilliance: I can’t grow/inside your glow.”

The incredible accompanying video, directed by Lawrence Pumfrey and choreographed by Katya Bourviski, explores the sort of dream state and rush of inspiring infatuation, but also its malleability and destabilizing effect. “Katya and I talked about my experiences as a young artist finding my feet in a difficult industry, especially with flagging health, and the constant pressure to define and sell yourself which helped to inform the structure of the piece,” says Morley. “It’s also partially inspired by Pina Bausch’s dance, Kontakthof.”
Watch “Dance to You” Video

Pre-order ‘Til I Start Speaking

Stream “Twain Harte”‘Til I Start Speaking Tracklist
1. Til I Start Speaking (I & II)
2. Dance to You
3. Sleeping in My Own Bed
4. Wasted5. Twain Harte
6. Up Above
7. Jazz Angel (Bill)
8. Savior Mind Tattoo
9. Superlunar
10. Eliogy
11. Feels (Bonus Track)

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Herbert Lenoir tells us a “Secret” on his new single.

After releasing his 2018 debut Darlène, the Quebecois musician Hubert Lenoir made a name for himself by ruffling a few feathers. The breakout album earned Lenoir icon status in his native Quebec, and was the rare French-language Quebec album to find international acclaim, landing Lenoir in publications like i-D, VICE, SSENSE and FADER who declared him “a pop star in any language,” on late night shows in France, where he also landed on the front page of the national newspaper Le Monde, a spot on the Polaris Prize shortlist (the first French-language record to get the nod in seven years), and even, in a bizarre turn of events, on stage at the Barclay Center opening for The Strokes at their New Years Eve show in 2019. All the while he has been a controversial and in some ways transformative figure in his home province, where his antics and transgressive attitude (his initial rise was in part catalyzed by some improvised nudity during a guest appearance on Quebec’s version of The Voice) have both upset many in the traditional media establishment and made him something of a standard bearer for a new kind of youth identity in Quebec. Now, Lenoir has returned to announce his second album, Musique directe, with a track called “SECRET” that features drums from Mac DeMarco and contributions from Kirin J Callinan and is premiering today as part of an interview with FADER.

WATCH: the video for Hubert Lenoir’s “SECRET” on THE FADER

READ: an English translation of the “SECRET” lyrics HERE

WATCH: album trailer “uber lenoir, c’est confirmé” HERE

Lenoir’s rapid rise around the release of his debut album resulted in some blowback, particularly in Quebec where he’s become quite a controversial figure, and his new album is in part an attempt to portray the strangeness of his life over the last few years and the way his sudden notoriety has affected him, particularly with regards to the way the backlash he has faced has given rise to a recurrence of some of the feelings he had as an ostracized adolescent in the suburbs of Quebec City. On “SECRET,” which arrives with a video in which he assumes the role of a skunk trying to win the favor of a popular boy in his high school, Lenoir takes these feelings on directly, with a chorus in which he sends his condolences to everyone who is different like him.

“This is a song about the feeling of unshared love and being rejected when you know that it’s only because you’re different,” Lenoir explains. “It talks about social rejection and keeping those feelings for yourself because “what’s the point” and anyway you don’t stand a chance. Not necessarily feeling bitterness or blaming the others but still finding the situation extremely sad and sending condolences to everyone that is like me, everyone that could live with the same ostracization in silence. A way of saying: I’m sorry, it won’t be easy.”

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

Levitation France announces dates and first wave of lineup.

Great news from Angers, France – Levitation France returns this September.

It will be an open air event this year, and the initial lineup is already top-notch. Shame have released my favorite album of the year so far, The Limiñanas are among the elite of French psychedelia, Slift are a powerhouse, Anika‘s new album is beautiful, and Zombie Zombie put on a killer show.

I’d go to this if I weren’t already locked into plans for that weekend (and as long as travel is open to Europe). You should go in my stead and tell me how it went. Tickets are already available.

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Levitation 2021 lineup announced.

The lineup for the 2021 Levitation Music Festival is here, and tickets are already on sale!

They’ve added shows on Wednesday night (the festival always started on Thursday night in the past), and I wouldn’t miss Here Lies Man if I were you. Speaking of Thursday, I already have my tickets to see Fuzz and The Well. No Joy, The Vacant Lots, and Public Practice will also put on a good show.

Friday? Well, you shouldn’t go to Levitation without seeing The Black Angels. I mean, they help curate the thing and pretty much started it. The fact that they’re playing with Tinariwen is an added bonus. Black Midi‘s show will probably be nuts, as will A Place to Bury Strangers‘ set.

Thundercat‘s live set is always a groovy show, and I hope to catch Frankie and the Witch Fingers and maybe Ganser – since they’re coming all the way from Chicago. As for Sunday, I’m excited to see The Hives again. They’re one of the best live bands on the planet.

More bands and sets are to be announced, so the weekend is sure to be packed with good stuff. Don’t miss it.

Keep your mind open.

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Kelly Lee Owens announces U.S. tour and remix EP.

Producer and musician Kelly Lee Owens is “reclaiming space for women in dance music in really powerful and important ways” (NPR Music). Last year, she released Inner Song, one of 2020’s best albums, via Smalltown Supersound. Today, she announces a US tour in support of the album — tickets are on sale. Kicking off at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, Owens will play across the states, including appearances at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival and Miami’s III Points Festival. Additionally, she will release the Inner Song Remix Series EP this Friday. It features remixes by Loraine James, Coby Sey, Roza Terenzi, Elkka, Breaka, Yazzus, and Haider.

Inner Song Remixes EP Tracklist
1. Re-Wild (Breaka Remix)
2. Wake-Up (Loraine James Remix)
3. On (Elkka Remix)
4. Night (Roza Terenzi Remix)
5. L.I.N.E. (Yazzus Remix)
6. Corner of my Sky feat. John Cale (Coby Sey Rework)
7. Jeanette (Haider Remix)

Kelly Lee Owens Tour Dates
Wed. Sept. 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri. Sept. 10 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Sat. Sept. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Making Time
Mon. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Tue. Sept. 14 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Thu. Sept. 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Fri. Sept. 17 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Sat. Sept. 18 – Seattle, WA @ Nuemos
Sun. Sept. 19 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
Wed. Sept. 22 – Oakland, CA @ Starline
Sat. Sept. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Fri. Oct. 22 – Sat. Oct. 23 – Miami, FL @ III Points Festival

Watch/Listen/Share
Preorder Inner Song Remix Series EP
Stream/Purchase Inner Song
“Melt!” Visuals
“On” Video
“Corner of My Sky” Video
“Night” Stream

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Madi Diaz returns with a strong new single – “Woman in My Heart.”

“History of a Feeling” cover art – photo by Lili Pepper

Nashville-based songwriter Madi Diaz announces her new album, History Of A Feeling, out August 27th on ANTI-, and today presents a new single/video, “Woman In My Heart.” History Of A Feeling undeniably marks Diaz’s status as a first-rate songwriter, a craft she’s spent years refining. Across the album, Diaz cycles through the full spectrum of emotions as she comes to terms with the dissolution of a meaningful relationship. She plays the line between the personal and the general with dexterity: in Diaz’s hands, quiet moments of self-pity are transformed into grand meditations on heartbreak, and unwieldy knots of big existential feelings are smoothed out with a sense of clear-eyed precision.

Diaz started working on History Of A Feeling three years ago, before beginning collaborations with co-producer Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) with whom she worked closely to flesh out the album’s instrumentation. It’s a homecoming record of sorts that points to her Nashville songwriting roots. Pulling from a range of folk, country and pop leanings, as much influenced by Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna as PJ Harvey and Kathleen Hanna, History Of A Feeling is comprised of the most direct and introspective songs Diaz has ever written. Throughout, she seamlessly weaves a profound sense of intimacy and camaraderie as her lyrics are relatable to anyone who has experienced heartbreak and great change in some manner. These universals are shaded by the fact that the relationship breakdown Diaz is chronicling coincided with her former partner transitioning, a complex reckoning Diaz approaches with empathy, candor, and care. “The bulk of this music came from dealing with a kind of tsunami clash of compassion, both for my former partner while she was discovering a deeper part of her gender identity long hidden, and my own raw heartache over having lost the partner I knew,” Diaz says. “I felt so torn through the middle because half of me wanted to hold this person through such a major life event, one that is so beautiful and hard, and the other half felt lost—like I had lost myself in someone else’s story.” It was a sea change that reverberated and ricocheted in her reflections on their relationship and her own sense of self moving forward and her process of healing.

Following the previously released singles “Nervous,” “New Person, Old Place,”and “Man In Me,” which all appear on History Of A Feeling, “Woman In My Heart” came out in one long stream-of-consciousness sweep. Throughout the track, Diaz’s resounding voice pierces through building guitar and percussion. “This song came out in a sort of waking dream while I was actively learning how to part with someone,” says Diaz. “It was hard enough not to miss/hurt/hate/fight/fuck/feel/get over them, and, what was even harder, was the love we had felt more and more like a mystery and the pain was the only thing coming in clear.” The accompanying video, directed by Diaz and Jordan Bellamy and filmed in Colorado, visualizes Diaz’s feelings of unfamiliarity. It was made with no treatment and no plan, just impulse and excitement, letting the music be the guide. Diaz elaborates: “Stumbling in the dark in old abandoned gold mines, whispering to horses at 9500 feet and digging relentlessly, all of these physical motions called out to us as a signal in a desperate attempt to unearth the truth.”

Watch Madi Diaz’s Video for “Woman In My Heart”

Pre-order History Of A Feeling

Watch Madi Diaz’s “Nervous” Video

Watch the “New Person, Old Place” Video

Watch the “Man In Me” Video

History Of A Feeling Tracklist
1. Rage
2. Man In Me
3. Crying In Public
4. Resentment
5. Think Of Me
6. Woman In My Heart
7. Nervous
8. Forever
9. History Of A Feeling
10. New Person Old Place
11. Do It Now

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Jyroscope and Montana Macks are “Frozen in Time” with their new single.

Chicago’s Jyroscope – consisting of MCs I.B. Fokuz, Collasoul Structure and DJ Seanile – and producer Montana Macks announce a collaborative EP, Happy Medium, out July 23rd. Today, they present the EP’s first single, “Frozen In Time,” alongside an accompanying video. Over the last decade, Jyroscope has recognized how difficult it can be to strike a balance between focusing on one’s craft, career, and the life responsibilities that come with putting down roots and starting a family. Happy Medium is a potent manifestation of that endless journey for balance. Over sleepy jazz samples, layered in well seasoned breakbeats, these tracks are born anew by Montana Macks. Collasoul and I.B. trade pointed verses about fatherhood, bills, the hypnotic self-erasing loop that is heading to-and-from the gig and blowing off steam with a beer or three before tomorrow means doing it all over again.

Preceding Happy Medium, Jyroscope released several projects including the Hip House mixtape, On The House, in 2016 and the bouncy boom bap-filled, MUTE EP. Happy Medium is the result of over a year’s worth of work that began with a wildly fruitful session in late 2019. They felt the title best reflected where they currently are as artists and people. With other obligations taking up more and more of their time, how much does making space for music matter in the big picture? At what point do the records start to count and people begin to truly take notice? How do you find the sweet spot, especially when little about life is sweet or easy? As I.B. Fokuz says, “As husbands and fathers, artists… asiatic men. The balance is defined by spinning plates. Managing the day-to-day with our families on our backs. A leap of faith is the dice we roll on our kitchen tables. Still hungry, still crafting our magnum opus. Still men of principle… keeping our worlds intact.”

In the percussive lead single, “Frozen In Time,” Collasoul raps “On the long road to peace baby we gettin’ all the best of it/ it’s scenic wit delicate petals/pedals and we don’t wanna step on it.” He elaborates: “The first 4 songs we created were seeds we planted prior to the pandemic. Those initial songs were actually going to be the full project according to I.B. and I, but Macks called me and said hey, I think something’s missing….He sent over ‘Frozen In Time’ and the moment I heard the horns on that beat I knew we had something special with that one. To me it sounds like we actually start working towards finding peace with the help of those calming horns.” Montana Macks adds: “I had a beat I was stashing for my next instrumental project, but thought it could round out this EP. I hit up Collasoul and pitched doing another song and he wasn’t terribly receptive to the idea. He agreed to listen to it and passed it along to I.B. Fokuz, I got a call probably 30 minutes later like, ‘say no more’ and it became the single.” The accompanying video, directed by Kory Stewart, was shot across the city of Chicago and is donned in a hazy, black and white filter.

Watch the Video for “Frozen In Time”

“Frozen In Time” is a first offering of the poetic rhymes and heart-felt imagery across Happy Medium. It makes for a captivating listen, one that is sure to have fans new and old itching to run it back well before the final note has faded away.

Pre-order Happy Medium EP

Happy Medium EP Tracklist
1. War Going On
2. Work
3. Auto-Pilot
4. Frozen In Time
5. Take It Easy

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[Thanks to Jim at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Durand Jones and the Indications proclaim the truth on “Love Will Work It Out.”

Durand Jones & The Indications release a new single/video, “Love Will Work It Out,” from their forthcoming album, Private Space, out July 30th on Dead Oceans in association with Colemine Records. Anchored by the high-low harmonies of Aaron Frazer (drums/vocals) and Durand Jones (vocals), and rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitar), Steve Okonski (keys), and Mike Montgomery (bass), Private Space leans into hope, coalescing around the idea that joy can set us free. “I want listeners to know that through really rough times something beautiful can be birthed,” says Jones, who proclaims on “Love Will Work It Out” that “All the people lost made me fall right onto my knees/all I could do was cry and shout/I knew I had to trust the faith that love would work it out.” The track – inspired by both the pandemic and social justice movements of the past year – is a mellow groove, as Jones’ voice is carried by drifting keys, relaxed percussion, and elegant strings.

“For months into the pandemic and the racial/political chaos that ensued, we found it hard to write,” says the band. “The biggest creative dry spell we’d experienced in a decade. The constant barrage of horrible news felt overwhelming, and songs just seemed inadequate in response to police murdering people in broad daylight. Songs felt inadequate in the face of a virus that decimated communities and kept us apart from our loved ones. We marched, protested, cried, wiped down our groceries, stopped wiping down our groceries, unplugged, breathed, replugged, reengaged. And when music finally flowed, the first song we wrote together was ‘Love Will Work It Out.’ Because conflict and confrontation require bravery, AND so does keeping the faith in the goodness of one another. It’s a big part of what so many people are fighting for- the benefit of the doubt, the ability to be seen as whole, the space to love and trust. It’s been a tough year, but we’ve come out the other side steady and hopeful.”

The accompanying video, directed by Weird Life, presents the band’s retro aesthetic as they perform.

Watch Durand Jones & The Indication’s Video for “Love Will Work It Out”

Following The Indications’ 2019 album, American Love Call, Private Space unlocks the door to a wider range of sounds, boldly launching the band into a world of synthy modern soul and disco beats dotted with strings. The Indications are true masters at melding revival sounds with a modern attitude. The ten tracks across Private Space provide for both an escapist fantasy and a much-needed recentering after a tumultuous 2020.

Developed after being apart for much of the year, Private Space is creatively explosive and delights in upending expectations. Throughout, The Indications highlight a collective resiliency – as well as the power of a good song to be a light in the darkness. From ideation to the final album cut, Private Space is a meditation on what gets us through isolation and loss: community, love and friendship. As the world slowly resets from the chaos of the past year, Private Space comes at just the right time. “I feel we’ll be arriving into people’s lives as they’re exiting a really tough period,” Frazer theorizes. “We’re not out of the woods, but hopefully this allows people to get together again, to share and experience catharsis.”

Watch the Video for “Witchoo”

Pre-order Private Space

Durand Jones & The Indications Tour Dates (new dates in bold):
Sat. Sep. 4 – Hershey, PA @ Harrisburg University At The Englewood
Tue. Sept. 7 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club w/ 79.5
Wed. Sep. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer w/ 79.5
Fri. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel w/ 79.5
Sat. Sept. 11 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club w/ 79.5
Mon. Sept. 13 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre w/ 79.5
Tue. Sept. 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line w/ 79.5
Thu. Sept. 16 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater w/ 79.5
Fri. Sept. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Commonwealth Room w/ 79.5
Mon. Sept. 20 – San Diego, CA @ Soma w/ 79.5
Mon. Sep. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium w/ 79.5
Wed. Sept. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium w/ 79.5
Thu. Sep. 23 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Sept. 24 – Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Fest
Sat. Sep. 25 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley w/ My Morning Jacket
Tue. Sep. 28 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield w/ My Morning Jacket
Wed. Sep. 29 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Pavilion at Riverfront w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Oct. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater w/ My Morning Jacket
Sat. Oct. 2 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater w/ My Morning Jacket
Sun. Oct. 3 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Ampitheater w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Oct. 8 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
Thu. Oct. 28 – Sun. Oct. 31 – Live Oak, FL @ Suwanee Hulaween
Sun. May 22, 2022 – Monterey, CA @ California Roots Festival

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]