MUSIC

Black Pumas Release Vibrant Single "Colors" Ahead of Debut Album

Motown gets a modern, psychedelic update in latest Black Puma single.

Psychedelic soul duo, Black Pumas, comprised of vocalist Eric Burton and producer Adrian Quesada, once again deliver their unique blend of classic soul, funk, and East Coast hip-hop in their latest single release "Colors."

In an exclusive with Afrojack, the band said their third single was inspired by the vibrant colors found in a setting sun and touches on "themes of mortality and togetherness." Quesada shared that the track was written on the rooftop of an uncle's house and that "Eric woke up midday and started the song as the sun was going down. He was inspired by the rich multi-colored hues of the sky."

"Colors" is full of attention-grabbing hooks and vintage soul stylings with a twist. Burton's deep, raspy voice alongside Quesada's inventive instrumentation and production pulls listeners in and makes us reminisce about a different time. Beginning with a simple and plucky blues guitar line and a gospel-like organ accompaniment, Burton sets the scene, singing, "Woke up to the morning sky first/Baby blue just like we rehearsed."

From there, the song builds up layer after layer in dynamics and emotional intensity, making it the kind of song you feel in your gut. Burton belts out the chorus with soulful runs that make the lyrics — "All my favorite colors, all my favorite colors, my sister and my brothers, See 'em like no other. It's a good day to be, a good day for me, a good day to see all my favorite colors" — hard to ignore. The Black Pumas are resurrecting the iconic Motown era with a modern update, making music steeped in nostalgia that still manages to be uniquely novel.

The Austin-based duo's star is only rising higher, having made an impression at this year's South By Southwest with their bold and invigorating live performance. Additionally, the band recently announced that they will release their self-titled debut full-length album on June 21 via ATO Records. Black Pumas will make their New York City debut at the Knitting Factory on May 15 before heading out on the European leg of their tour. The band will also play a number of festivals and headlining dates this summer.

For more from the Black Pumas, check out their website here. Listen to "Colors" below!

Black Pumas - Colors (Official Audio)www.youtube.com

Tour Dates

5/15 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY

5/21 - Bush Hall (w/ The Heavy) - London, UK (SOLD OUT)

5/23 - La Maroquinerie (w/ The Heavy) - Paris, FR (SOLD OUT)

5/24 - De Helling (w/ The Heavy) - Utrecht, NL (SOLD OUT)

5/25 - Lido (w/ The Heavy) - Berlin, DE (SOLD OUT)

5/28 - Trinity Centre (w/ The Heavy) - Bristol, UK (SOLD OUT)

7/2 - Summerfest - Milwaukee, WI

7/4 - Drake Hotel - Toronto, ON

7/6 - Festival d'été International de Québec – Quebec City, QC

7/10 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA

7/11 - WTMD First Thursday Festival - Baltimore, MD

7/12 - The Basement - Columbus, OH

7/14 - Third and Lindsley - Nashville, TN

7/16 - Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel - Davenport, IA

7/17 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN

7/18 - Shitty Barn - Spring Green, WI

7/19 - Space - Evanston, IL

7/20 - El Club - Detroit, MI

7/23 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA

9/27-29 - Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival - Columbia, MO


Alessandra Rincón is a journalist, writer, and photographer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana living in New York City. She loves covering music, art and culture news and you can usually find her at a show or with her nose in a book. In her spare time she is a musician, comic book nerd and wannabe cook.


POP⚡DUST | Read More...


Cage The Elephant Strikes The Match on New Album "Social Cues"

TIME's "100 Most Influential People" Is the High School Yearbook from Hell

Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend of April 19

MUSIC

Tame Impala Dances To Heartbreak on "Borderline"

The Australian psychedelic-rock outfit's second single this year is a foray into heartbreak, buoyed by a new sonic confidence.

Mairo Cinquetti/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

For Kevin Parker on "Borderline," heartbreak is no longer just a possible future: it's arrived in the present.

Tame Impala, Parker's beloved psychedelic-rock project, has returned with "Borderline," the second of two singles from an as-yet-untitled upcoming album, was released on Friday after premiering on Saturday Night Live the week before. The track indicates an exciting new depth in Tame's signature atmospheric rock and maybe even hints at a newfound musical maturity.

Which isn't to say Tame's sound has been reined in or stunted with time: the Australian band's hallucinatory sensibility remains intact, headed up as always by Parker's lilting vocals and obsessively tight production. But "Borderline" is still a notable step away from both the stoner rock of their first two albums and the shimmering synth-pop of 2015's massive super hit, Currents. It's the sound of recalibration, as Parker carefully centers the track on the uncoiling of a groove. Crisper drums and bass and a de-emphasized fuzz, bubble under a sound somewhere between chamber-pop and funk, as Parker infuses a sonic clarity into a song ambiguously about ending a relationship. "We're on the borderline / Dangerously far and all forgiven," Parker floats over the music, a sadness buoyed by Tame's renewed sense of curation.

Thematically, Tame Impala has always danced with ambiguity, the paralyzing uncertainty of what's to come in life and love. "Patience," the first of Tame's new releases, grasped for some understanding of the passage of time, seeking a balance with this uncertainty, but "Borderline" pushes this fear even further, into the bitterness of love lost. The song is willfully trapped in a moment, doubt and anxiety juxtaposed with a confident growth in Tame Impala's sound. It's a bracing change, and only makes the prospect of their new album all the more enticing.

Borderline



Matthew Apadula is a writer and music critic from New York. His work has previously appeared on GIGsoup Music and in Drunk in a Midnight Choir. Find him on Twitter @imdoingmybest.


POP⚡DUST | Read More...

The Drug of Escapism: Why Gamers Can't Stop Watching P*rn

Music From Mars: An Interview With Jared & the Mill

10 Game of Thrones Sex Scenes to Get You Ready for Season 8

Rising Star

PREMIERE | Ben Millburn Drops 'Call Me King'

Psychedelic, grunge-lite alt rock from Texas

Ben Millburn - Call Me King

Ben Millburn premieres "Call Me King" on Popdust. The song is from Millburn's forthcoming album, called Sunglass Moustache, slated to drop September 14.

Keep ReadingShow less