Luke Rathborne shot by Shervin LainezThe last time we caught up with Rathborne our interviewer was drunk and they talked a bunch about musical legacy, moving from Maine to NYC, and his 2013 album SOFT (which has clocked up some three million streams on Spotify). Now Ratheborne is back with a new record, AGAIN, out March 6 via his own label True Believer, and we've gotta say, when we heard the lead single, "Losing It" (premiering below), we were surprised. Gone are the new wave meets classic rock vibes. This latest offering works another groove entirely. Perhaps you could guess this by the cut of his blazer—he's having a slight stylistic switcheroo. There's some seductive synth action here, and Rathborne's utilizing a part of his register we've never heard before: very falsetto awesome!Here's the skinny from Rathborne's mouth: "I went into Outer Space studios in Brooklyn with Ted Young (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth) and myself on production, and tracked the upcoming LP AGAIN doing the basics live with Jamie Alegre on drums and long time-bassist Darren Will on bass."I wanted to do a song that combined some of my favorite themes, like people who seem to go a little mad when they’re passionately in love. This felt like a surreal little story, where friends are confiding a private conversation to each other in a world where all these strange things are taking place. After that the work was done I took it on myself to fill out the arrangement until I was lost in a swirl of ghostly synths, with a wash of tangled guitars and JUNO synthesizer and dripping electronics to make the song complete."My favorite part of the track is the bridge where I dug up a tiny Casio keyboard and created these tiny little tinkling sounds with delay that fill up the soundscape leading into the last chorus."Have a listen below and catch Rathborne on tour next year.3/28 Fullerton, CA – Continental Room*3/29 Los Angeles, CA – Club Bahia*3/30 San Francisco, CA – The Rickshaw Stop*4/1 Portland, OR – Mississppi Studios *4/2 Seattle, WA – Barboza*4/3 Vancouver, BC – Cobalt*4/5 Salt Lake City – Kilby Court*4/6 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge** with Alex Caldner--
Advertisement
Luke Rathborne Tour Dates3/8 Boston, MA – Great Scott *3/9 NYC – Elvis Guesthouse *3/10 Washington DC – DC9 *3/12 Savannah – Savannah Stopover Festival3/14 New Orleans – Gasa Gasa*3/15 – 3/18 – SXSW TBA3/21 Hot Springs AR – Valley of the Vapors Festival3/24 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace *3/25 Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar*3/26 San Diego, CA – Hideout*
Advertisement