Rodrigo y Gabriela Unveil Landmark New Album, In Between Through… A New World

GRAMMY® Award-winning guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela have announced their landmark new album, In Between Thoughts…A New World, arriving via ATO Records on Friday, April 21. Pre-orders are available now. Rodrigo y Gabriela’s eagerly awaited follow-up to 2019’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Mettavolution and first full-length collection in four years, In Between Thoughts…A New World arrives as one of the duo’s most revelatory offerings yet – a spontaneously composed unified work primed to bring about the same expansion of consciousness that inspired its creation. Self-produced by Rodrigo y Gabriela at their studio in Ixtapa, Mexico, the album – which sees the guitar duo expanding their traditional approach to include inventive electronic and orchestral elements – is heralded by today’s premiere of the first single, “Descending To Nowhere,” available now on all DSPs. An official music video, directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker/broadcaster Olallo Rubio, premieres today via YouTube.

WATCH “DESCENDING TO NOWHERE” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

LISTEN TO “DESCENDING TO NOWHERE”

PRE-ORDER IN BETWEEN THOUGHTS…A NEW WORLD

“The video is based on a specific chapter/segment of a storyline written by Rodrigo y Gabriela where a character has a spiritual journey towards non-dualism,” says director Olallo Rubio. “So this video is just a small part of a larger story. They always imagined this world in animation, but we thought it’d be conceptually interesting to start in this dark, bleak, live action world and then enter the animated universe in color. I called artists Andy Butler (British) and Pogo (Mexican), with whom I worked before on a documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky (the Chilean multi-disciplinary artist) because I knew they’d understand the spiritual/surreal concept we were developing.”

“Descending To Nowhere” furthers serves as the culmination of last year’s Stages, a cycle of nine deeply metaphysical mini videos which first introduced the faceless characters that drive Rodrigo y Gabriela’s powerful narrative. A complete compilation of all nine Stages mini videos is streaming now on YouTube.

WATCH STAGES

Available exclusively at www.rodgab.com, the band is offering a deluxe version of the album on vinyl. This limited edition of 2,000 units includes all 9 Stages tracks on an opaque “Galaxy” custom color LP in addition to the album on a transluscent “Galaxy” custom color LP in a gatefold package. Pre-order is available now HERE.

Rodrigo y Gabriela will mark the arrival of In Between Thoughts…A New World with a robust international touring schedule that includes a North American headline tour set to get underway May 18 at Houston, TX’s Smart Financial Centre and then continues until early July. Highlights include performances at such renowned venues as London’s Roundhouse (April 24), Los Angeles, CA’s YouTube Theatre (June 1), Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (June 11), Nashville, TN’s Ryman Auditorium (June 19), Brooklyn, NY’s Kings Theatre (June 27), and Montreal, Quebec’s Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier | Place des Arts. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 17. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.rodgab.com/tour-dates. Additional shows will be announced soon.

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA

TOUR 2023

+A Special Performance with Antonio Sanchez
*With support from Krooked Kings
^With support from Bahamas
⁰With support from Ondara

APRIL

24 – London, UK – Roundhouse
25 – Paris, FR – Bouffes Du Nord
26 – Paris, FR – Bouffes Du Nord
30 – Cheltenham, UK – Cheltenham Jazz Festival

MAY

18 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre*
19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live At Moody Theatre*
20 – San Antonio, TX – The Espee*
21 – Dallas, TX – AT&T Strauss Square*
25 – Scottsdale, AZ – Scottsdale Center for the Arts*
26 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay*+
27 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay*+

JUNE

1 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre^+
2 – San Bernardino, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
3 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater^
4 – Sacramento, CA – Mondavi Center UC Davis^
7 – Portland, OR – Grand Lodge^
10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Sandy Amphitheater^
11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre^+
13 – Minneapolis, MN – Fitzgerald Theatre
14 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theater⁰
16 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre⁰
17 – Detroit, MI – Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre⁰
19 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium⁰
20 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall⁰
22 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre⁰
23 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater⁰
25 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club⁰
27 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre⁰
28 – Philadelphia, PA – Longwood Gardens⁰
29 – Boston, MA – Chevalier Theatre⁰

JULY

1 – Montreal, QC – Montreal Jazz Fest, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier | Place des Arts
2 – Niagara Falls, ON – Fallsview Casino Avalon Theatre

SEPTEMBER

25 – Hamburg, DE Mojo
26 – Berlin, DE Passionskirche
29 – Milan, IT – Santeria
30 – Bologna, IT – Estragon

OCTOBER

2 – Rome, IT – Auditorium Parco della Musica/Sala Sinopoli
5 – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller
7 – Stockholm, SE – Sodra Teatern
9 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
11 – Warsaw, PL – Palladium
16 – Dublin, IE – Vicar Street
17 – Belfast, UK – Mandela Hall
19 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
20 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy
21 – Birmingham, UK – Town Hall
23 – London, UK – Palladium
25 – Lille, France – L’Aeronef
27 – Lausanne, CH – Théâtre de Beaulieu
29 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Vredenburg, Grote Zaal
30 – Brussels, BE – Cirque Royal
31 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma

NOVEMBER

2 – Nantes, FR – Stereolux
3 – Bordeaux, FR – Le Rocher De Palmer
5 – Toulouse, FR – Le Bikini
7 – Madrid, ES – Sala La Paqui
9 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz 2
10 – Nimes, FR – Paloma
11 – Lyon, FR – Le Radiant

# # #

For over two decades, Rodrigo y Gabriela have created music that invites lasting transcendence, mesmerizing audiences across the globe with their virtuosic yet wildly inventive guitar playing. Critically lauded albums like 2019’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Mettavolution have seen the Mexico City-bred duo continually turning to musical expression as a form of spiritual searching, a journey that recently led to the making of their sixth studio album. Sparked from their study of Advaita Vedanta (a Hindu philosophy rooted in the concept of nondualism), In Between Thoughts…A New World emerged from a transformative period of spiritual awakening and a subsequent burst of unfettered creativity.

While recovering from Covid in the fall of 2020, Rodrigo stumbled upon the concept of nondualism – the notion that there is a “single, infinite, and indivisible reality, whose nature is pure consciousness, from which all objects and selves derive their apparently independent existence,” in the words of author/teacher Rupert Spira. He shared his findings with Gabriela, who felt a similar resonance. As they delved further into the philosophy, the duo began channeling this new sense of heightened awareness into song form.

“The music just started flowing out, without any real intention,” says Rodrigo. “When we looked back, we realized we’d come up with nine songs that told the story of our coming to understand the Advaita path, in the exact perfect order. We didn’t change the foundation of the songs from that point, so what you hear on the album is the music as we were creating it.”

In a testament to the expressiveness and depth of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s musicality, In Between Thoughts wordlessly leads the listener through a complex narrative complete with plot, emotional arcs, and plenty of dramatic tension. Mixed by James Monti (The Who, The Head and the Heart) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Tame Impala, Beach House), the album marks a sharp departure from the duo’s signature acoustic sound, with Rodrigo trading his acoustic guitar for electric, adding a mercurial new energy elegantly amplified by the duo’s subtle use of analog synths, Mellotron, and other electronic instruments. Rodrigo y Gabriela also worked remotely with Vienna-based composer Adam Ilyas Kuruc and The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, who ornamented the duo’s serpentine arrangements with lush strings and powerful percussion. Yet even as it pushes into uncharted sonic terrain, the album draws much of its power from the singular dynamic that’s always distinguished Rodrigo y Gabriela’s music, a delicate interplay between Gabriela’s potent and percussive strumming and Rodrigo’s breathlessly fast yet intricate lead guitar work.

Reflecting on the making of In Between Thoughts…A New World, Rodrigo y Gabriela are quick to note the charmed spontaneity that guided their process — an element that extends all the way to their serendipitous discovery of conceptual artist Jeremy Gluck, who created the album’s cover art and whose work is partly inspired by the teachings of the renowned Indian guru of nondualism Nisargadatta Maharaj.

“I think one of the main things we’ll take away from this experience is to let the music flow, let it live and breathe without judging it first,” says Gabriela. 

“We didn’t work on this record thinking, ‘Let’s share this message with the world’ — we’re not interested in preaching anything,” says Rodrigo. “If it benefits people in any way to learn about this, then that’s wonderful. But for us it was a way to explore something that’s brought us a lot of peace and freedom – something that we love talking about because it’s changed our lives in an incredible way.”

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
IN BETWEEN THOUGHTS…A NEW WORLD
(ATO RECORDS)
Release Date: Friday, April 21

Tracklist:

True Nature
The Eye That Catches The Dream
Egoland
Descending To Nowhere
Seeking Unreality
The Ride Of The Mind
Broken Rage
Finding Myself Leads Me To You
In Between Thoughts…A New World

# # #

About Rodrigo y Gabriela:

Grammy Award-winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela grew up on an eclectic mix of classic rock, heavy metal, and flamenco, a rare alchemy of influences that still informs their work today. Not long after the dissolution of their first band, the two musicians set off with their acoustic guitars and ended up in Ireland, where they soon ran out of money and began busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street — a turn of events that led to their crossing paths with Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice, who then asked them to open for him at an early headline show. As they developed their distinct breed of guitar music, Rodrigo y Gabriela quickly gained recognition for their extraordinary live show and made their full-length debut, 2002’s re-Foc. Along with turning out eight additional acclaimed and kaleidoscopic albums over the years, including 2009’s 11:11 (which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for an Outstanding World Music Album), Area 52 (a 2012 effort made with a Cuban orchestra), 9 Dead Alive (a 2014 release that spotlighted their more rock-leaning sensibilities), and the 2020 Grammy Award-winning Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Mettavolution, the duo has cemented their status as a globally renowned live act. Among their many successes: performing at The White House for the President and First Lady of Mexico at a 2010 event hosted by Barack Obama; working with Hans Zimmer on the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack; being a featured artist on the Puss in Boots soundtrack; headlining the Jazz World stage at Glastonbury; selling out major venues like the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Sydney Opera House; and performing to massive crowds in such far-flung cities as Tokyo and Paris. In 2022, they received a Grammy nomination for their cover of Metallica’s “The Struggle Within” for The Metallica Blacklist.

Temples Share New Track “Cicada”

Temples have today shared a new track, ‘Cicada’, the latest to be taken from their forthcoming fourth album, Exotico. The Sean Ono Lennon produced album will be released on ATO Records on Friday 14^th April 2023.

One of Exotico’s most explosive moments, ‘Cicada’ unfolds as a frenetic meditation on rebirth and renewal.  Talking about the track, the band’s Thomas Walmsley said:

That song came from being inspired by the sound of cicadas, and the idea of emerging from the underground after a long time of being suppressed. We were attempting to turn that sound into a sort of dance rhythm, and once we started working with Sean we really built up the production by digging into his cupboard of keyboards and synths.

Made with the help of a Marvin—a copper instrument lead singer James Bagshaw describes as “something out of a steampunk museum”, ‘Cicada’ soon takes on a delirious intensity thanks in part to its furious drumming and dizzying strings. James adds:

You never really see cicadas but you can imagine them having a frantic life, and to me that song feels like a huge army of them whipped into a frenzy.

Having previously worked with Lennon on their 2020 single ‘Paraphernalia’, the album was recorded at his upstate New York studio and mixed by Dave Fridmann (Beach House, Spoon, The Flaming Lips) and will be available on LP, CD, DL & cassette via the band’s shop and can be pre-ordered HERE.

The band also recently completed a SOLD OUT short run of small club shows to road-test the new album. A full U.K. & European tour will be announced shortly.

……………………………………… 

During the making of Exotico, Temples learned of the early-modern phenomenon of phantom islands: bodies of land included on maps for a period of time but later found to be nonexistent, often the consequence of oceanic mirage or deliberate mythmaking and the Kettering band’s fourth long-player takes place in a similarly mystical setting, an impossibly utopic island dreamed up by singer/guitarist James Bagshaw, bassist Tom Walmsley, keyboardist/guitarist Adam Smith, and drummer Rens Ottink.

With its resplendent collage of psychedelia and krautrock and time-bending dream-pop, Exotico brings that world to life in crystalline detail, all while exploring an entire spectrum of existential themes: impermanence, mortality, our connection with nature and the wild immensity of the mind. Equal parts cerebral and celestial, the result is a truly immersive body of work, fully affirming Temples as one of today’s most forward-thinking and endlessly inventive rock bands.

Having first crossed paths with Lennon at the Desert Daze festival in Southern California in 2019 they instantly felt a profound creative connection with the songwriter / musician/producer and their 12 days of Exotico sessions marked a significant departure from the self-contained approach they’d adhered to since their debut album Sun Structures (a 2014 release The Quietus likened to a series of “woozy daydreams that will embed themselves further in with each listen”). To that end, the band broadened their musical palette to include a vast expanse of instrumentation—a fitting choice for a body of work inspired by everything from classical symphonies to Italian horror soundtracks to Brill Building-era girl groups.

For Temples, the act of creating Exotico fulfilled both their hyper-imaginative impulses and an understandable need for escape from the real world. “This record is essentially something we made for ourselves to find joy in at the time we were making it,” says lead singer James Bagshaw. “There are songs to dance to, songs to reflect with, and through that we ended up delving into every aspect of our musical vocabulary.” Bassist Thomas Walmsley adds: “There are so many different influences across the songs, which goes back to having free rein in the studio and being as spontaneous as we could be.”

Because of that unmitigated freedom, Temples ultimately shook off any lingering inhibitions in the creative process. “We learned to see the magic in the mistakes, and in the unpredictability of an instrument or your own voice,” says Bagshaw. “It taught us to be less concerned about what genre something might sit in, or even stop worrying about genre altogether. The genre should always just be Temples.”

CIVIC Taken By Force Out Today Via ATO Records

“These Melbourne garage rock hellions’ high-energy ramalama suggests the gritty attack of early SST hardcore, the motorhead dervish of the MC5 and fellow countrymen The Saints.” – MOJO

“Civic’s whole style is punked-up garage rock, played with the grimy lo-fi abandon of ’90s noise-rock but with the joyously hooks of car-radio classic rock — a potent combination.” – Stereogum

“Civic, a high-energy quintet from Down Under, revels in high-octane, old-school punk vibes and some dystopian imagery.” – AV Club

“The Chats and Amyl and the Sniffers may have ignited modern Australian punk rock into the mainstream, but Civic will duck under the wreckage with a tougher, harder sound that will outlast any fashion and hype.” – Vive Le Rock

Melbourne’s CIVIC – Jim McCullough (vocals), Lewis Hodgson (guitar), Roland Hlavka (bass), Jackson Harry (guitar). Matt Blach (drums) – release their new album Taken By Force – today, February 10th via ATO Records, listen HERE.

Taken By Force finds CIVIC setting their artful venting of existential dread against a backdrop of blistering riffs, thrashing rhythms, and shout-along-ready vocals. They joyfully obliterate the line between furious catharsis and unbridled fun, introducing a vital new energy into today’s musical landscape. Rob Younger from seminal Australian punk band Radio Birdman produced the new album and it was mixed and mastered by another Australian punk legend Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current, Sonny & the Sunsets).

The band will be making their US live debut at SXSW in Austin, TX in March, stay tuned for a complete list of shows they’ll be playing! In the meantime, if you’re in the UK/EU this spring, you can hopefully catch the band at one of the dates below.

May 17 – BE – Brugge, Cactus
May 18 – BE – Antwerp, Trix
May 19 – NL – Utrecht, ACU
May 20 – NL – Groningen, Vera
May 21 – DE – Berlin, Cassiopeia
May 23 – UK – London, Shacklewell
May 25 – UK – Manchester, The Castle
May 26 – UK – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
May 27 – UK – London, Wide Awake Festival
May 30 – FR – Brest, Cabaret Vauban
May 31 – FR – Bordeaux, L’lboat
Jun 1 – ES – Bilbao, Azkena Club
Jun 2 – ES – San Sebastian, Dabadaba
Jun 3 – ES – Madrid, Blocparty Festival
All Confirmed Tour Dates Here

St. Paul & The Broken Bones New Album ‘Angels In Science Fiction’ Due April 21

Angels in Science Fiction, the new album from St. Paul & The Broken Bones, is set for release April 21 via ATO Records—pre-save/pre-order here. The record’s first single, “Sea Star,” is out today with an accompanying video, an homage to the band’s home state of Alabama that introduces the album’s themes—life and death, beauty and truth—directed by Gus Black. Watch/share the video here and listen to the new track here.

Of the song, bandleader Paul Janeway says: “‘Sea Star’ comes from a story told to me when I was young. The story goes that there was a man on the seashore, picking up starfish that had washed up and throwing them back into the sea.

A person walked by and said, ‘Sir, you’re not going to make a dent in this. It’s not possible.’ The man chucked a starfish into the ocean and said, ‘I made a difference for that one.’ Then picked up another one, threw it into the ocean and again said, ‘I made a difference for that one.’

I think about that story a lot in my own life, and I hope that the moral is one that I teach my child: ‘Try your best to make a difference, starting with the people that are around you.’ My daughter is a strong tide that has pulled me back in. Having a child can give people a feeling of redemption, and a renewed sense of purpose—especially when they’re feeling lost and empty. That theme found its way into ‘Sea Star.’”

Angels in Science Fiction was written in the span of a few weeks after Paul Janeway learned that his wife was pregnant with their daughter, Marigold. Following the examples set by greats like Aristotle, William James and John Steinbeck, Janeway penned the album as a series of letters to his then-unborn daughter.

“A few people told me it would be a good idea to write letters to my yet to be born daughter before she arrived into the world,” says Janeway. “That is what Angels in Science Fiction is. Themes throughout the album are faith, nature vs nurture, anxiety and beauty. This is a record I would have written whether I did this for a living or not. I don’t know if those records come along all the time.”

The album was recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and was produced by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, John Prine, Elvis Presley). It follows the band’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, The Alien Coast.

In celebration of the new music, St. Paul & The Broken Bones have embarked on a run of U.S., European and Australian shows that continues throughout the year—visit stpaulandthebrokenbones.com/shows for a complete list of dates with more to be announced soon.

Founded in Birmingham, Alabama in 2011, St. Paul & The Broken Bones consists of Paul Janeway (vocals), Jesse Phillips (bass), Browan Lollar (guitar), Kevin Leon (drums), Al Gamble (keyboards), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Chad Fisher (trombone), and Amari Ansari (saxophone). The eight-piece ensemble burst into the world with their 2014 debut, Half the City, establishing a sound that quickly became a calling card and landing the band a slew of major festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella and Glastonbury. Critical praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN and NPR followed, leading to shared stages with some of the world’s biggest artists—Elton John and The Rolling Stones among them—and launching an impressive run of headlining tours behind what Esquire touted as a “potent live show that knocks audiences on their ass.”

The group has continued to expand their sound with every record, branching out well beyond old-school soul into sleek summertime funk and classic disco on albums like 2018’s Young Sick Camellia. Their forthcoming LP, Angels in Science Fiction, stretches their limbs further afield, building on the shadowy psychedelia and intricate, experimental R&B of 2022’s The Alien Coast. The new record finds Janeway at his very best. With Angels in Science Fiction, St. Paul & The Broken Bones have crafted their most moving, comprehensive work—spanning their entire sonic and emotional scope.

PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES—ANGELS IN SCIENCE FICTION

1. Chelsea
2. City Federal Building
3. Magnolia Trees
4. Sea Star
5. Heat Lightning
6. Angels in Science Fiction
7. Wolf in Rabbit Clothes
8. South Dakota
9. Oporto-Madrid Blvd
10. Lonely Love Song
11. Easter Bunny
12. Marigold
13. TOUR DATES

February 8—Fort Lauderdale, FL—Culture Room*
February 10—Mobile, AL—Soul Kitchen Music Hall*
March 30—Savannah, GA—Savannah Music Festival
March 31—Macon, GA—Hargray Capitol Theatre
March 31-April 1—New Orleans, LA—Hogs For The Cause
April 6-10—Tyagarah, Australia—Byron Bay BluesFest
April 10—Melbourne, Australia—Forum Theatre†
April 11— Melbourne, Australia—Northcote Theatre†
April 13—Sydney, Australia—Enmore Theatre†
April 29 – Decatur, GA – Amplify Decatur Festival
May 20-21—Knoxville, TN—Southern Skies Festival
May 21—Greenville, SC—Peace Pavilion
May 23—Augusta, GA—Miller Theatre
May 25—Wilmington, NC—Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
May 25-28—Cumberland, MD—DelFest
May 25-28—Martinsville, VA—Rooster Walk 13
June 17-18—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival
June 23—Greenfield, MA—Green River Festival
July 23—Stuttgart, Germany—Jazz Open Stuttgart
August 25—Tisbury, MA—Beach Road Weekend

*with Rett Madison
†with Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats

Joseph Return With Anthemic New Album ‘The Sun’

Today, indie pop sister trio Joseph announce their fourth studio album The Sun, set for release on April 28 on ATO Records. The Oregon-based band are launching into a new direction with fresh collaborators, self-reliance and a newly emboldened sound. The first single “Nervous System,” released today alongside a colorful kaleidoscopic video directed by Vanessa Pla, is a kicked-up anthem about struggling with anxiety and tending to ourselves with presence and compassion. 

Pre-order the album here: https://atorecords-ffm.com/josephthesun  

Watch “Nervous System” music video here

Listen to “Nervous System” here

Featured today on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, “Nervous System,” co-written with Tayla Parx (Ariana Grande, Khalid/Normani) and Wynne Bennett (HAIM, Twin Shadow, Janelle Monae), is a punchy anthem about being our own life lines in times of anxiety and struggle. Says the band, “it’s about self regulating and tending to ourselves with presence and compassion, rather than frantically reaching outside of ourselves.”  Allison continues, “I’ve struggled with a lot of anxiety over the years, at times a constant inner storm, and it’s been easy to look outside myself to feel safe and secure. I’ve fought to find my inner peace, and through that process I’ve found that so much of the time I already have what it takes to calm my nervous system.”

“All of our therapists were a huge influence on this album,” says the band. In the making of their fourth studio album The Sun, Natalie Closner and her sisters, twins Meegan Closner and Allison Closner focused their soul-searching songwriting on the quietly damaging forces that keep us from living fully in our truth (e.g., gaslighting, cultural conditioning, unconscious yet painfully limiting self-beliefs). 

Marking a sonic shift, their instantly infectious indie-pop-folk songcraft shines bright alongside their breathtaking three-party harmonies and boundless lyrical wisdom that has drawn fans including Billie Eilish, The Shins, James Bay and landed them in Billboard’s Top 200 and Heatseekers chart, with TV performances on The Tonight Show, ELLEN, CBS This Morning, NBC’s TODAY Show and more. 

In bringing the album to life, Joseph worked with acclaimed producers like Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, First Aid Kit, Laura Veirs) and Christian “Leggy” Langdon (Meg Myers, Amos Lee, BANKS), shaping an irresistibly vibrant sound, encompassing everything from the moody grandeur of the album-opening “Waves Crash” to the pure anthemic glory of tracks like “Kicking Up The Light.” 

With the band taking a decidedly more hands-on role in the production process, The Sun continually achieves the exquisite feat of spinning incredibly complex concepts into sing-along-ready pop songs, providing a captivating backdrop for Joseph’s fearlessly personal storytelling. The three sisters explore complicated themes from each of their perspectives. 

Drawing on hard lessons from relationships and personal growth through therapy, The Sun shares stories of taking control of your own fate, making difficult decisions in the name of becoming yourself, and weathering the highs and lows of love while keeping the faith and tending to ourselves with presence and compassion. 

TRACKLIST

1. Waves Crash
2. The Sun
3. Fireworks
4. Don’t Protect Me
5. Slow Dance
6. Nervous System 
7. Tell Me About You
8. Kicking Up The Light
9. Three More Hours
10. Love Is Flowing

Temples Announce Their New Sean Ono Lennon Produced Album, Exotico.

Temples have announced details of their fourth album, Exotico. The Sean Ono Lennon produced album will be released on ATO Records on Friday 14th April 2023.

Having previously worked with Lennon on their 2020 single ‘Paraphernalia’, the album was recorded at his upstate New York studio and mixed by Dave Fridmann (Beach House, Spoon, The Flaming Lips). The track listing of the 16-track album is as follows:

1. Liquid Air
2. Gamma Rays
3. Exotico
4. Sultry Air
5. Cicada
6. Oval Stones
7. Slow Days
8. Crystal Hall
9. Head In The Clouds
10. Giallo
11. Inner Space
12. Meet You Maker
13. Time Is A Light
14. Fading Actor
15. Afterlife
16. Movements Of Time

 The album will be available on LP, CD, DL & cassette via the band’s shop and can be pre-ordered HERE.

The band have today also shared ‘Gamma Rays’, the first track to be taken from the album. Talking about the track, James Bagshaw of Temples said:

In the verse lyrics we’re talking about the grandness of nature, and then the chorus flips that on its head, it sounds like a rejoiceful summer tune about soaking up the rays, but the truth is that soaking up gamma rays will kill you. So it’s about that juxtaposition of beauty and danger that we often find in nature.

The track is also accompanied by a video shot in Benidorm. Talking about the video, director Molly Daniel said:

Filming in Benidorm was inspiring. It’s a very surreal and futuristic space – like Margate meets Vegas meets the end of the world!  I wanted a video that felt fast paced and took you on a journey through some great locations.

Having last played a sold-out U.K. tour in 2019, including a show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire, the band make a live return next month with a short run of small club shows to road-test the new album. A full U.K. & European tour will be announced shortly. The full list of dates is as follows:

01.02.23 – Castle & Falcon – BIRMINGHAM

02.02.23 – YES – MANCHESTER

03.02.23 – Belgrave Music Hall – LEEDS

04.02.23 – Stereo – GLASGOW

05.02.23 – Lafyette – LONDON

06.02.23 – Clwb Ifor Bach – CARDIFF

 Tickets for the shows are on sale now HERE

………………………………………

During the making of Exotico, Temples learned of the early-modern phenomenon of phantom islands: bodies of land included on maps for a period of time but later found to be nonexistent, often the consequence of oceanic mirage or deliberate mythmaking and the Kettering band’s fourth long-player takes place in a similarly mystical setting, an impossibly utopic island dreamed up by singer/guitarist James Bagshaw, bassist Tom Walmsley, keyboardist/guitarist Adam Smith, and drummer Rens Ottink. 

With its resplendent collage of psychedelia and krautrock and time-bending dream-pop, Exotico brings that world to life in crystalline detail, all while exploring an entire spectrum of existential themes: impermanence, mortality, our connection with nature and the wild immensity of the mind. Equal parts cerebral and celestial, the result is a truly immersive body of work, fully affirming Temples as one of today’s most forward-thinking and endlessly inventive rock bands.

Having first crossed paths with Lennon at the Desert Daze festival in Southern California in 2019 they instantly felt a profound creative connection with the songwriter / musician/producer and their 12 days of Exotico sessions marked a significant departure from the self-contained approach they’d adhered to since their debut album Sun Structures (a 2014 release The Quietus likened to a series of “woozy daydreams that will embed themselves further in with each listen”). To that end, the band broadened their musical palette to include a vast expanse of instrumentation—a fitting choice for a body of work inspired by everything from classical symphonies to Italian horror soundtracks to Brill Building-era girl groups.

For Temples, the act of creating Exotico fulfilled both their hyper-imaginative impulses and an understandable need for escape from the real world. “This record is essentially something we made for ourselves to find joy in at the time we were making it,” says lead singer James Bagshaw. “There are songs to dance to, songs to reflect with, and through that we ended up delving into every aspect of our musical vocabulary.” Bassist Thomas Walmsley adds: “There are so many different influences across the songs, which goes back to having free rein in the studio and being as spontaneous as we could be.” 

Because of that unmitigated freedom, Temples ultimately shook off any lingering inhibitions in the creative process. “We learned to see the magic in the mistakes, and in the unpredictability of an instrument or your own voice,” says Bagshaw. “It taught us to be less concerned about what genre something might sit in, or even stop worrying about genre altogether. The genre should always just be Temples.”  

Altin Gün Are Back With Aşk

GRAMMY® Award-nominated Turkish psych-folk innovators Altin Gün have announced their eagerly anticipated new album, Aşk, arriving via ATO Records on Friday, March 31. Pre-orders are available now HERE.

An exuberant return to the 70s Anatolian folk-rock sound that characterized Altın Gün’s landmark first two albums, Aşk is heralded by today’s premiere of the pulse-pounding new single, “Rakıya Su Katamam,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. A space rock- powered take on the folk standard composed by Turkish writer/theologian Mustafa Öztürk, the track is joined by an equally kaleidoscopic official music video premiering today at YouTube.

The band has also announced an extensive run of North American tour dates, which sees them performing at some of the biggest and most celebrated venues to date. See below for the full list of upcoming performances.

LISTEN TO “RAKIYA SU KATAMAM”

WATCH OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

PRE-ORDER AŞK

Aşk sees Altın Gün veering away from the electronic, synth-drenched sound of their critically acclaimed 2021 albums, Âlem and Yol, to capture all the infectious power and urgency of the Amsterdam-based band’s famously propulsive live performances. Recorded using vintage equipment and techniques, the album’s ten groundbreaking tracks all represent visionary new readings of traditional Turkish folk tunes, revealing how these ancient songs remain eternally resonant and ripe for reinterpretation.

“These songs have been covered so many times, always,” says vocalist/keyboardist Merve Dasdemir.

“But not really in psychedelic pop versions,” adds bassist Jasper Verhulst. “It’s definitely connecting more with a live sound – almost like a live album. We, as a band, just going into a rehearsal space together and creating music together instead of demoing at home.”

Rooted in antiquity yet blazing with contemporary relevance and vitality, Aşk also includes Altın Gün’s dazzling reinvention of “Lelim Ley,” a classic song of lost love and exile available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Recently named as “Today’s Top Tune” by the influential KCRW, “Lelim Ley” features music composed by renowned Turkish musician, author, poet, and politician Zülfü Livaneli and lyrics written by the late Turkish novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist Sabahattin Ali (1907–1948). Taken from Ali’s 1937 short story, “Ses,” “Lelim Ley” was joined by music composed by Livaneli in 1975 and has since been embraced as one of the most well-known and beloved songs among Turkish people everywhere.

LISTEN TO “LEYLIM LEY”

Hailing from Amsterdam but coming from various backgrounds (Turkish, Dutch and more), Altın Gün have captured the world’s imagination with their indelible fusion of psychedelic rock, deep funk, synthpop, cosmic reggae, and more with the rich and incredibly diverse traditions of Anatolian and Turkish folk music. The band captured the world’s attention with their 2018 debut, On, and quickly earned a prestigious GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best World Album” with their 2019 sophomore LP, Gece.

Renowned for their dizzyingly hypnotic live performances, Altın Gün has spent much of this past year lighting up stages around the world, including sold out headline tours in North America, Europe, and the UK, along with show-stopping sets at such top international festivals as Indio, CA’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret, Barcelona, Spain’s Primavera Sound, and Reykjavik, Iceland’s Iceland Airwaves to name but a few. The band – who recently performed three historic collaborations with the Netherlands’ world famous Metropole Orkest – will embark on a wide ranging EU/UK headline run in March 2023, with North American tour dates – including headline shows and appearances at such upcoming festivals as Check, VA’s FloydFest (July 26-30) – to be announced soon.

Altın Gün is: Merve Dasdemir (vocals and keyboards), Erdinc Ecevit (vocals and keyboards), Thijs Elzinga (guitar), Jasper Verhulst (bass), Daniel Smienk (drums), Chris Bruining (percussion).

ALTIN GÜN

LIVE 2023

7/12 – Thunderbird – Pittsburgh, PA

7/13 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH

7/14 – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI

7/15 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL

7/17 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI

7/18 – Varsity Theatre – Minneapolis, MN

7/19 – Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA

7/21 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN

7/24 – Basement East – Nashville, TN

7/25 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA

7/27 – FloydFest – Floyd, VA

7/28 – The Howard – Washington, DC

7/29 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA

7/31 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY

8/2 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON