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“...while the group make much of this being a 'new era' there are still plenty of moments that conjure nostalgic, dreamy biss.” - MOJO
"The album brings us back to their sun-kissed California psych sounds once again, but this time with equal twists of clipped electronica and field recordings" - LOUDER THAN WAR
"embraces the pugnacious monotony of late ‘80s Lou Reed ... and reassures that they have not altogether lost interest in sun-splashed psychedelia" - UNCUT
“Surreal” - MXDWN on “Right On Time”
The Los Angeles-based Allah-Las released their new album, Zuma 85 via their own label, Calico Discos, in partnership with Innovative Leisure, which issued earlier defining statements from the band. In 2020, following the release of their album LAHS, the band members stepped away to refocus on their individual lives and interests, leading them to reimagine their creative processes. When they eventually regrouped, they adopted a more flexible approach. Instead of bringing fully finished songs to the studio, they entered the idyllic Panoramic House Studio in Stinson Beach armed with sketches, ideas, and riffs. Working with co-producer Jeremy Harris (White Fence, Devendra Banhart, Ty Segall) they shaped and crafted the new songs in real time over three sessions, which were then mixed in Los Angeles by frequent collaborator Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Avalanches, Purple Mountains). The end result, Zuma 85, finds the band embracing the influences of late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, the ‘70s mutant pop of Peter Ivers and early Eno and Roxy Music.
In ten days the Allah-Las will kick off their first U.S. tour in support of Zuma 85 with a show in Phoenix, AZ on October 23. The tour also includes a two-night stand with Reverberation Radio at Lodge Room in Los Angeles on November 15 (with Mirror Tree and Kolumbo as support) and November 16 (with Tim Hall and Sam Burton as support), as well as stops in Denver, Dallas, and Seattle before concluding November 18 in San Francisco, CA. Following the U.S. run the band head to Australia in December. All announced shows are listed below and tickets are available here.
Leading to today’s release the Allah-Las teased the album with videos for four of Zuma 85’s singles, “Sky Club,” “Right On Time, The Stuff,” and Dust” and they saw support from Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan, Austin Town Hall, Buzzbands LA, MXDWN, The Big Takeover, MOJO and Ghettoblaster, among others. Today the band revealed two additional visuals - “The Fall,” music video which was animated and directed by Mark Neeley and “Jelly,” visualizer which was created with help from Farmer Dave. On his animation for “The Fall” Mark writes, "the video includes a lot of watercolor and fresh ink directly on paper, it's a juxtaposition of abstract and animating some of the song's narrative. I have always admired the careful curation of visual art that accompanies the music of Allah-Las, and I hope my analogue animation adds another dimension to that".
Leland Whitty of BADBADNOTGOOD shares “Glass Moon,” the second offering from his forthcoming debut solo album Anyhow due December 9th. Arriving with visuals directed by Raven Shields and Colin Medley, the cinematic jazz number magnifies Whitty’s sonic journey and further showcases his multidimensional talent as a performer, composer, and director. The new single follows “Awake,” which Glide Magazine described as having “unforgettable melodies and masterful song structure” and has been celebrated by BBC Radio 1's Benji B, BBC Radio 6's Mary Anne Hobbs, Tom Ravenscroft and Gilles Peterson, and Totally Wired's Kev Beadle.
The 7 tracks of Anyhow use Whitty's do-it-yourself approach to composition, production and multi-instrumental performances, which include guitar, synthesizer, woodwinds, and strings, to create a narrative found in jazz improvisations that draw from photographic or cinematic sources rather than a specific story. BADBADNOTGOOD’s Alex and Chester were guests on the album, alongside other friends and notably Whitty’s older brother, Lowell – which Whitty credits as being a central musical inspiration in his life. This is the first time they had the chance to fully work together. Whitty built the album from small excerpts rather than a more rigid intellectual compositional technique. He would envision the whole scope of a song, asking friends to contribute shifting the rhythm and energy of each track.
Listen to "Glass Moon" and pre-order/save Anyhow.
See tour dates below w/ BADBADNOTGOOD.
11/30/22 - Zurich, CH @ X-Tra
12/02/22 - Utrecht, NL @ Ronda
12/03/22 - Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
12/06/22 - London, UK @ Brixton Academy
12/07/22 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
12/09/22 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
12/10/22 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
12/11/22 - Bristol, UK @ Academy 1
12/13/22 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU
Classixx followed up their latest "Weekends" with another collaborative track with Local Natives entitled "Francesca." As Michael David & Tyler Blake of Classixx explain it "Francesca is a song that we've always wanted to make. Bright poly synths, big resonant drums and an anthemic vocal stack. When Kelcey first sang the verse and chorus melodies softly at a piano, it felt like our opportunity to go for it. It took us a while to finish Francesca. The framework came together quickly but we really took our time with every sound and section. I'm not sure if comes across as a carefully crafted production, but I do feel triumphant when I hear it because it really sounds like the song we always imagined." This single is the second from a 2 song EP that's available now. Read more about it at The Line of Best Fit.
Premiered by Pitchfork, "Weekends" is a collaboration between LA's Classixx & Local Natives. Another collaborative single will come shortly.
“These two songs were made as a collaboration in the true sense of the word,” Classixx said in a statement. “We met the Local Natives guys at a wedding in Mexico and immediately connected. They’re such a vibrant live band and it was important to us that their musicianship and vocal harmony came through. The tunes were a group effort and it was a privilege to work on them together, it felt like being a part of a small community.”
Read more at: Under The Radar / The Line of Best Fit / Flood Magazine