with special guests Noah Gundersen, New West, and Rowan Drake.
04/05 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
04/06 Kelowna, BC – Big White Ski Resort
04/09 Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
04/11 Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
04/12 Saskatoon, SK – Coors Event Centre
04/13 Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
04/16 London, ON – London Music Hall
04/17 Montreal, QC – MTELUS
04/18 Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre
04/19 Quebec City, QC – Impérial Bell
04/23 Waterloo, ON – Maxwell’s Concerts and Events
04/24 Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
05/04 San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
05/05 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
05/07 San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
05/08 San Francisco, CA – August Hall
05/10 Portland, OR – The Hawthorne Theatre
05/11 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
05/13 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
05/14 Denver, CO – The Ogden Theatre
05/15 Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center
05/17 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
05/18 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
05/19 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
05/21 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
05/22 Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
05/24 Detroit MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
05/25 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
05/26 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
05/28 Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
05/29 Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
05/31 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
06/01 Ithaca, NY – State Theatre of Ithaca
06/02 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
06/04 Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
06/05 Norfolk, VA – The Norva
06/07 Charlotte, NC – The Underground
06/08 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
06/09 Nashville, TN – The Basement East
06/11 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
06/12 Austin, TX – Mohawk
06/14 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
06/15 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
06/22 Mexico City, Mexico – Foro Puebla
X Ambassadors are back with a brand new album, “Townie,” and it’s a deeply personal exploration of their hometown roots. We caught up with the band to discuss their process, inspirations and their FAULTs.
What inspired the album’s title and how did the concept for Townie come about?
The album’s title, “Townie,” was inspired by my upbringing in a college town where the locals were often referred to as “townies” by the college students. The concept for “Townie” came about from my desire to explore and embrace my roots, to delve into the identity and experiences of those who grew up in such towns.
How did growing up in Ithaca shape your music and storytelling for this album?
Growing up in Ithaca greatly influenced the music and storytelling on this album. It provided a unique backdrop and perspective that infused my songs with elements of small-town life, personal experiences, and the struggles and triumphs of navigating adolescence in such an environment.
Can you give us a glimpse into the songwriting process for this album and how you decided which stories to share?
The songwriting process for this album often began with introspection and reflection on personal experiences and emotions. I chose stories that resonated deeply with me, ones that I felt encapsulated the essence of growing up in a college town and grappling with identity, loss, and relationships.
How did you navigate expressing raw emotion through your music and songwriting?
Expressing raw emotion through my music and songwriting was a journey of vulnerability and self-discovery. While initially daunting, I found solace and empowerment in embracing the authenticity of my emotions and experiences, allowing them to shape the heart and soul of the album.
“Rashad” touches on the theme of loss and grief. Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind this song?
“Rashad” was inspired by the tragic loss of a close friend at a young age. It delves into themes of grief, remembrance, and the fleeting nature of life. The song serves as a tribute to my friend and a reminder to cherish the moments we have.
Why did you choose “No Strings” as the lead single for this project?
We chose “No Strings” as the lead single because it encapsulated the carefree moments of youth intertwined with a sense of disillusionment and introspection. It set the tone for the album, bridging the gap between nostalgia and maturity.
As you embark on a UK tour and prepare for the album’s release, what are you most excited for fans to experience with “Townie”?
I’m most excited for fans to experience the authenticity and depth of “Townie.” I hope the album resonates with listeners, transporting them to the world of small-town life and evoking a range of emotions and reflections.
Is there a narrative thread that connects the whole album?
Yes, there is a narrative thread that weaves throughout the album, exploring themes of identity, belonging, loss, and growth. Each song contributes to a larger tapestry of personal experiences and reflections on life in a college town.
What is your FAULT? (Personal flaw).
My fault is often airing too much on the side of self-deprecation and struggling to fully acknowledge and own up to my strengths. However, I’m actively working on building confidence and embracing my abilities more readily.
X Ambassadors Album ‘Townie’ Drops—It Turns Out You Can Go Home
Eric Fuller
Apr 5, 2024,03:01am EDT
TYLER JAY HANSON
It’s always fun to hear a good band’s newest release. Sure, the single might be streaming, but there is the rest of the music just waiting to be heard. When the band has been around for a while, like X Ambassadors have, then there is an expectation of the musical journey waiting to unspool.
Townie, releasing April 5, 2024, is unexpectedly nostalgic. The album is colored by lead singer Sam Nelson Harris’ experience growing up alongside his brother and bandmate Casey in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is a college town, perhaps best known as the home of Cornell University.
College towns are transient. Students come for a few years, then typically move elsewhere as they begin the path to adulting. In Ithaca, the colleges were dominant in town. They were a window into another world for the locals and a stopping point in life for those enrolled. The students rarely ventured far beyond the campus. Many of the adults living in town worked at the schools.
I spoke with Sam Nelson Harris, the lead singer of X Ambassadors, and principal author of Townie. He wrote this album reflecting on what he experienced during his Ithaca years. He was not a college student there, he was a “townie.” Living alongside those who simply arrive in town and act as education tourists flags the differences in status and attitude of those who came as a step to furthering their career. Those who are lifers in town live an entirely different experience. They are always there, and often always in the background.
Harris didn’t want to be an afterthought. He and other locals wanted to stake their claim to the city. New kids would come into town for college then go on to their own adventures. Harris moved out of Ithaca as soon as he turned 18. He moved to New York City for 10 years, then spent the next ten in Los Angeles where he remains. Harris tried to run away from himself and not have his identity tied to Ithaca. Now, however, he is returning to the idea that Ithaca formed a significant part of who he became, and he reconciles those ideas through Townie.
Townie is a very personal record. Harris’ voice is vulnerable and honest. He reflects upon what Ithaca represents because outside the region it has a limited identity beyond being a college center. Harris wrote Townie as an album about upstate New York - where there are cold winters. and the colors are grey and brown. There are so many forgotten towns upstate like Ithaca. Harris wanted to make a record about that life.
He now finds he is deeply tied to Ithaca, even while he lives with his family in Los Angeles. Ithaca is the home for Cornell and Ithaca College. Sam felt isolated in that environment. Upstate New York doesn’t resonate with people who live outside the region. Upstate New York has its own specific identity, which is the core idea behind the album.
X Ambassadors recently finished a European tour, returning to start a 44 city North American tour. Their current tour began April 3 and runs through the end of June. On this tour there are four in the band plus their support team. They play in comfortably sized rooms.
Harris loves being surrounded by artists in Los Angeles. There is inspiration in a creation space. It’s a space where the quality of your art is your credibility. This ethos differs from other places which are scorekeeping by counting money. When art is your endeavor, then art is also the result. Harris both writes and performs, so he has the satisfaction along with his band to break out of the isolation which all writers face and celebrate with those who watch their performance in real time. This duality both inspires and reaffirms the public awareness and acceptance of their work.
X Ambassadors has received their own training on stages around the globe. It’s one thing to get a degree from a place like Cornell. It’s entirely different to leave the place where Cornell exists and develop a global brand which centers entirely on producing music which people come out to celebrate whenever and wherever they play. Music stirs both insight and emotion. Live performance is a turbo charged version of what plays on streaming or vinyl. X Ambassadors will soon be nearby. If you want to embrace their music as the band delivers it live, check the link below for dates and get yourself to a show. It’s an inspiring evening at a very comfortable price. And, just maybe as you are heading back after the show, you may feel longing or nostalgic for your own roots. After all, we each grew up somewhere, and for most that place holds memories beyond family stretching back to when we were all townies of a sort.
Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover you
Watch X Ambassadors at the Paste Magazine East Austin Block Party Presented by Ilegal Mezcal
By Adi Har-Shemesh | April 5, 2024 | 4:45pm
MUSIC FEATURES X AMBASSADORS
This year at Paste’s East Austin Block Party, we experimented with something new: instead of our live sessions, we turned the indoor stage of The Coral Snake into a recording studio; allowing artists a chance to drop in and chat with us as well as record some music, while giving the crowd an opportunity to see a recording up close and personal. “Personal” is the defining keyword of our session with X Ambassadors. They dropped by on Wednesday afternoon, playing us three songs off their upcoming album Townie, out today via Virgin Music.
First was “No Strings” featuring lead guitarist Russ Flynn’s hypnotic tremolo picking beautifully melded with Sam Nelson Harris’ warm vocals and guitar, while Adam Levin created a perfect balance to both with rhythm on drum pad. Harris’ voice has an element that is unique to great songwriters, that they can tell you any story like it’s your own, and X Ambassadors have done that and more.
“No Strings”
After “No Strings”, X Ambassadors moved on to their unreleased track “Sunoco”, the first track off Townie. It’s clear why the band chose that name. As Harris explained between songs, Sunoco is the name of a gas station chain that was common in the Northeast where he’s from. “And that’s where I spent most of my time growing up,” said Harris with a little smile, ”hanging out at those gas stations.” The songs evoke a feeling of being homesick for a life I never got to experience, but still find myself nostalgic for.
With a playful nod to their manager just offscreen, X Ambassadors launch into the unreleased “Sunoco.”
“Sunoco”
X Ambassadors’ magical talent for universality ironically lies with their specificity, with lyrics like “paint a picture of a little anarchist/ making movies on his dad’s camera”, and “doing donuts in the parking lot / me and my friends will never get caught / 6 AM and I feel like I’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Sunoco” taps into the feeling that you’re destined for “bigger” things than the town you were born in while still feeling tied to your roots, where you’re from, and the life you were given, but once felt too good for.
For their last song, “Your Town”, Levin left the stage, leaving only Harris and Flynn. “Your Town” is the most recent release from X Ambassadors. Introducing the song, Harris took the time to speak personally to the audience. He mentioned a major inspiration for the album is his hometown of Ithaca, a college town, “hence the title of the album, Townie, I’m a townie,” Harris joked. Speaking of “Your Town”, he said, “this song specifically, I wrote for my teacher Todd Peterson, who passed away in 2021. Todd taught me everything that I know about being on stage,” Harris continued, “I think it took him passing away for me to really realize how special it is to be from where I’m from,” he added, “to have been raised by people like him, by my family, by my friends. This song is for him, it’s for my town, but it’s also for you and wherever you’re from.”
“Your Town”
“Your Town” leads us to a strong finish. It is an emotional gut punch of a song. It’s a love letter to Peterson, but also to youthful arrogance, to learning to appreciate the things you used to resent, to becoming whole with who you have become and who you used to be. Townie sounds like love, and X Ambassadors managed to convey that love in their three-song session, if the screaming applause from the audience that followed wasn’t indication enough.
Look out for “Townie”, out April 5th on Virgin Records.
Thank you to X Ambassadors, The Coral Snake, High Noon, and our friends at Ilegal Mezcal for helping us bring the East Austin Block Party to life.
Watch X Ambassadors play three songs (“No Strings” | “Sunoco” | "Your Town") from their new album 'Townie. Recorded live at The Coral Snake in Austin, TX on March 13, 2024
TOWNIE is a home-coming album. Casey and I are from a small college-town in central New York called Ithaca. Ithaca is home to three universities; an Ivy Leaguer, a liberal arts conservatory, and a state community college. The students make up more than 50% of the population, and the town largely exists for and because of them. Every year we'd watch as the students would arrive, bodies buzzing with their newfound independence and every year we'd watch them go off into the big-bad world, their rolled up college degrees tucked in their pants pockets like swords in hilts. The students would come and go, and we'd be left behind. They'd call us "townies”— the people on the periphery who existed mostly as just background actors in the movies of their college experiences. We were the ones working behind the counter at the coffee shop and bars, or bagging your groceries at Wegmans; who'd sell you cheap zips of shitty weed or coke from their houses out in the middle of the woods. The ones who'd show up at frat parties, reeking of we-don't-belong-here and who'd eventually get kicked out for doing something dumb like starting a fight or spray-painting a dick on the wall.
We grew up restless. Both Casey and I, fighting for our own versions of independence from our surroundings. Both fighting to be seen and heard when we felt invisible. Ithaca almost felt like it wanted you to disappear—with its endlessly grey skies, leafless trees, freezing temperatures, and its geographical (and from my teenage perspective, cultural) isolation. Compared to the glimpses I'd get from the students passing through, and from the annual trips we'd take to visit our dad at work (whose job as a film publicist took him all over the world to so many strange, exotic places); our little life just the three of us -mom, Casey and I— seemed so small. Teenage logic had me convinced that becoming a rock star was the best cure for this restlessness, so Casey and I made music together in our basement and in our friend's garages or sheds, banking on that being our ticket out. Somehow we did it, and yet somewhere along the way I found myself being drawn back to
this place that I so desperately sought to free myself from.
Like pretty much everybody in the world, there's always been a part of me that thought if I checked all the boxes I made when I was a frustrated teenager living in Ithaca, that someday I'd wake up— having shaken off the dust of my hometown— and feel like I had ARRIVED. Now here I am, 35 years old; working my dream-job, financially stable, married, living in one of the biggest cities in the world. And yet I still feel like that insecure, 16-year old kid with a prematurely-receding hairline and the weight of the world on his shoulders who's still scared of being left behind. Writing this album was me asking myself "why?" Here's what I came up with:
I am a Townie. I will always be a Townie. To deny that, is to deny everything that I am. And yes my town was small, but the people I grew up with never let me think that the world wasn't big and exciting and out there for the taking. In my town I was loved, I was encouraged, I was accepted, I was challenged, I was knocked down and picked back up again a million times. It might not have been the cultural Mecca I dreamed about, but we had a pretty sick independent movie theater and more than one good coffee shop. The Red Hot Chili Peppers never came to play our State Theater, but that meant less competition for the all-ages shows we'd put on at the Wownet Internet Cafe (RIP Internet Cafe's everywhere). The guys at the music store knew my mom, so they let me spend hours in there "testing out” guitars and pedals and recording equipment like I was actually ever going to have the money to buy anything. No one ever made me feel like an idiot for having dreams, or that those dreams couldn't come true, just that they'd still be there for me, that MY TOWN would be there for me, in case they didn't.
I'm so lucky to have grown up where and how I did. Full stop. From the moment I gleefully left town at 18, I think that idea took root in me somewhere; and so it feels like a very appropriate that, 18 years later, we'd be putting out an album that's a love letter to Ithaca and to Upstate New York.
This is TOWNIE. For my town and Caseys, for Adam's and Russ', and for you and yours. For the Townies in all of us.
X Ambassadors - Smoke On the Highway (Official Visualizer)
4 Apr 2024
Lyrics:
Oh Roll one up in the backseat we can Go Go riding around this ghost-town, I smell Smoke Smoke on the Highway With you right beside me They built a mall on Iroquois burial-ground There’s nothing sacred in this God-forsaken town We drive past MacCormick Prison out on 79 Getting high Just you and I Two young hooligans Best friends on a suicide mission Too young to pretend There’s anything better And I said Oh Roll one up in the backseat we can Go Go riding around this ghost-town, I smell Smoke Smoke on the Highway With you right beside me Lost his job last week bagging groceries at the P&C They caught him stealing ribeyes, high on percs and OC’s We all laughed when we saw his pants were stained with blood It’s a tough break… … When you play for high steaks. Two young hooligans Best friends on a suicide mission Too young to pretend There’s anything better And I said Oh Roll one up in the backseat we can Go Go riding around this ghost-town, I smell Smoke Smoke on the Highway With you right beside me Oh Roll one up in the backseat we can Go Go riding around this ghost-town, I smell Smoke Smoke on the Highway With you right beside me
X Ambassadors tell Best Fit how they learnt to embrace their Ithaca roots on new album Townie.
Make yourself at home
03 April 2024, 15:00
Words by Jen Long
(X AMBASSADORS)
X Ambassadors tell Jen Long how they learnt to embrace their Ithaca roots on new album Townie.
After leaving Upstate New York for the big city’s bright lights, X Ambassadors frontman Sam Nelson Harris refused to look back for a long time. On new record Townie, he confronts and embraces his formative years, creating a collection of songs that are full of rich reflection and a cohesive catharsis.
“I have not always been capable of writing like this. I’m growing and evolving as a songwriter and I’m very proud of this record specifically. I wanted to show people what we’re capable of,” smiles X Ambassadors frontman Sam Nelson Harris from the backstage room of Camden’s Electric Ballroom ahead of a sold out show.
On tour in the lead up to the release of their fourth album Townie, out this week, Harris is joined by longtime band member Adam Levin, as well as Russ Flynn who juggles guitar and bass duties. Co-founding member Casey Harris, Sam’s brother, is absent from the run due to a family emergency.
Known for their theatrical flair, embracing pop refrains and genre-fluid collaborations, Townie has the potential to take fans by surprise. An atmospheric, diaristic record, the songs take a raw approach, often driven by acoustic guitar with sombre, imagery-heavy delivery. “I was trying to figure out why I was so fascinated about making a record that felt like Upstate New York and why I had for so many years fought against this part of myself that was from there,” says Harris. “When we moved to New York, I was like, ‘We’re a Brooklyn band now.’ Even when I lived in Ithaca, I didn’t want to be from Upstate New York, I just wanted to be from somewhere else.”
Growing up in the city, best known for its Ivy League Cornell University, Harris saw the economic divide between his college town and the surrounding areas, the state itself a vast expanse of exquisite natural beauty. “Lots of room for sad, depressing towns,” he says, half-joking.
Forming a high school band, The Fuzz Brothers, with his brother and former band member Noah Feldshuh, Harris approached music with the utmost intention. “It was never just fun for me,” he says. “I was so determined, I had a death grip on this thing, like, ‘I’m gonna make this happen. This is gonna work.’”
Obsessed with bands like The Stooges and early classic punk, it was The Red Hot Chilli Peppers who caught Harris’ imagination, drawn in by the familial bond of the group’s core members. “By the time I got into them, they had already been around for so long. These broken men who had somehow stayed together despite years of substance abuse issues, members leaving, dying,” he says. “I just found that so powerful, even as a thirteen-year-old.”
Shortly before moving to New York City, Harris was captivated by the city’s rising indie-rock scene, bands that have retrospectively been recategorised as indie-sleaze. “I so desperately wanted to be as cool as those bands,” he smiles. “I couldn't get a pair of skinny mens jeans to save my life, so I was just buying women’s jeans. Just all up in there.”
The band’s big break came when their self-released single “Unconsolable” began to pick up plays on a radio station in Virginia, catching the ear of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds. A stripped back, percussive and vocally direct cut of acoustic pop, Harris was determined to prove to the labels showing interest that they weren’t another folk band. “That was me, so badly not wanting to be defined by the place I’m from and all the things that come with it,” he says. “I’m tired of running from that and I love an acoustic guitar, I really do.”
After releasing three records that embrace juxtaposed genres, imaginative concepts and star-studded collaborations, the inspiration for Harris to strip things back to his roots came after the loss of his old friend, mentor and school teacher Todd Peterson, who passed away in 2021. “That was a big catalyst for me thinking about this record and wanting to do something that honoured his memory,” he explains.
Todd was a queer black man from Upstate New York who’d been on Broadway and worked as an actor, singer, dancer and performer. Moving back to Ithaca to be with his family, he took a job at Harris’ school, Belle Sherman. He was the first person to put a microphone in Harris’ hand and encourage him to sing. “He taught me everything I know about performing, about being on stage,” he says. “Changed my life.”
Recent single “Your Town” ends with a voicemail from Peterson, left on Harris’ phone just weeks before he passed. “That was towards the very end. He had been suffering for a long time with various forms of health issues. He was having a really tough time at the end,” says Harris with the weight of regret. “When I got that voice note, he sounded so much more fragile than he normally did. I had, over the years, gotten a little tired of him always nagging me for not responding to his texts or calls or Facebook comments, not coming back to Ithaca more. I just started kind of screening his calls and texts and when he called me and left that voicemail, I listened to it and I was like, ‘Oh man, fuck, I feel so guilty.’ I texted him and told him I’d give him a call back and I never did. A couple of months later it was too late.”
For Harris, the making of Townie stemmed from a multitude of converging moments. Entering his mid-thirties, he began to find himself looking back on his life to date. Going through the pandemic and quiet lockdowns, like many he found himself with the pause for reflection. On top of everything, Harris’ brother Casey, who has been blind since he was a baby, had started a family. “My whole life has been in some way, shape or form helping to take care of my brother,” says Harris. “That really was a big thing for me. I was like, ‘Oh shit, he doesn't need me anymore? Who am I?’”
Sitting down to write in the bright heat of Van Nuys, Harris struggled to conjure the crisp air and fall colours of his hometown. “I had a full blown panic attack in LA, trying to work on this record,” he says. “I was trying to write these very introspective songs and trying to make something that felt like Upstate New York and it was so hot. Not the vibe.”
The band searched for a studio that could inspire the atmosphere they were trying to mirror, initially looking for options in Ithaca before casting their net a little wider. Eventually they discovered The Outlier Inn. A residential studio in the Catskills, it had recently played home to recordings by the likes of Big Thief and The War on Drugs. “That was one where a lot of records we liked were made, it had the gear we liked, it had the vibe. It was perfect,” says Levin.
Arriving with what they thought were the bones of their record, it didn’t take long before new songs began to find their way to the surface. “The second we got there, it just felt so good,” says Harris. “I felt like a kid again, which was so awesome. I think that I really needed to feel that joy in this record, which on surface level is very heavy and slow and very introspective. I needed to be surrounded by joy to do that.”
Across the twelve tracks of Townie, X Ambassadors build a world that has the sepia-tinged feel of an Upstate New York which can never be discovered. Steeped in deeply personal nostalgia, it’s as much a postcard to 90s youth as it is a tribute to a physical place. Evocative lines and imagery take you to a world that felt bigger, where connection wasn’t so expendable and where dreams had space to grow.
Following on from 2021’s The Beautiful Liar, a concept album that played out in chapters, Townie eschews one distinct narrative thread for an encompassing theme. “I like approaching records like that. It makes it more exciting for me and for us to feel like we’re creating a world,” says Harris. “I think the longer we’ve been together, the more we’re able to take a step back and think about it and focus and follow our instincts. That’s why this record is the first one we’ve self-produced, and really curated the whole thing ourselves.”
Working together for two weeks in the Catskills to write, produce and record the album, the insular nature of the sessions shine through in the recordings. It’s intimate, direct and often strikingly raw. Working on the album alongside their new collaborative Eg project also meant that their desire to work with certain artists found an easy outlet. “A lot of times, collaborations and features, it’s on the more poppy stuff,” says Levin. “Because the record was so personal and not trying to be a hot record, I don’t even remember thinking about features.”
Working together for two weeks in the Catskills to write, produce and record the album, the insular nature of the sessions shine through in the recordings. It’s intimate, direct and often strikingly raw. Working on the album alongside their new collaborative Eg project also meant that their desire to work with certain artists found an easy outlet. “A lot of times, collaborations and features, it’s on the more poppy stuff,” says Levin. “Because the record was so personal and not trying to be a hot record, I don’t even remember thinking about features.”
Townie is not only a vivid representation of the musicianship and capabilities of X Ambassadors as a unit, it draws an indicative line to their formative roots, albeit with the benefit of creative licence and hindsight. “From the outset, I was like, I think we should try and make something as cohesive as possible. I wanted us to challenge ourselves, because most of our records, it’s all over the fucking place. I think what’s driven us so far is that freedom to just make whatever the fuck we want to make,” says Harris. “From the outset, I wanted to challenge us to make something that was very linear. I think I fell back in love with the acoustic guitar. Upstate New York is so indicative of the fucking acoustic guitar.”
Stylistically, the tracks on Townie are still recognisably X Ambassadors - melodic toplines delivered in Harris’ rich and expansive range. It’s the sonics that have shifted, embracing the raw, American indie-rock of bands like Bright Eyes and The Gaslight Anthem.
Album opener “Suncao” sets the tone, all brooding nostalgia and the hope of youth. Recreating a gas station on the outskirts of town at night, it’s an instantly atmospheric introduction to a record that comes to life in its stark imagery. “I was like, how can I describe what a night with my friends in the middle of winter felt like?” asks Harris. “I was obsessed with this image of a gas station in the middle of nowhere. That’s so much a part of my childhood. I so badly wanted to leave and that gas station was this symbol of how transient a place Ithaca felt, and a lot of upstate New York feels. It was either your destination or the place you’re going to send off from.”
“A point of departure or a reminder that you’re not leaving,” adds Flynn.
Quickly following is “Smoke on the Highway,” a haunting ode to the many juxtapositions that come with growing up in a place like Ithaca. Surrounded by natural beauty and meaningful history, there’s also the creeping realities of consumerism and despondent disregard. “You’re at a beautiful waterfall and someone’s left a six pack and there’s a shopping cart that’s flipped over. There’s that irreverence that I wanted to capture,” says Harris. “There’s some images that are pulled from real things. There’s one part in particular, a friend of ours used to steal steaks from grocery stores and he’d stuff them in his pants. I wanted to create this character whose friends would all laugh at him when he’d come out with his paints stained with blood from the bloody steaks. I think Upstate New York is so known for its beauty, but there’s so much darkness there too. It’s funny and sad, which is my favourite combo.”
On a first listen, Townie can feel like a heavy confession. Dark in places, it echoes the desolation and sadness it seeks to portray. But for every gut-punch of a line, there’s a bright pop hook. Songs like “Rashad” tackle regretful trauma with light production, while lead single “No Strings” closes the record with a driving refrain of hope. But it’s on album highlight “Follow the Sound of My Voice” that Harris clashes sentiment with delivery.
A soaring anthem of melodic pop balladry, he tells his story of growing up with a disabled sibling. As a child, their mother had often recounted the moment she first realised Casey was blind. Harris uses it as a starting point, the chorus’ hook taken from the many times he’d use speech to guide his brother. “I have never written something so quickly and have it be so hard to write,” he says. “I’ve never written so directly about my relationship with my brother and it’s such a big part of who I am, I’m very protective of him too. I think writing about it was just really scary. I’m always so scared of making my brother seem like a victim or in any way taking away his autonomy or power. But then I also have to talk about my experience and that was really hard too, because it's something that’s so ingrained in me. It was very hard to get to the point to write, and then once I sat down to write it, it was like, oh, that’s all right there.”
As deeply personal as the song is, the underlying themes and open delivery not only make it feel accessible, but instantly familiar. It’s a common experience listening across Townie, as vivid themes invite you into a world as if it’s shared. It may be their hometown, but with every listen you feel a little more comfortable.
X Ambassadors unveil new song 'Follow The Sound Of My Voice' from anticipated album 'Townie' out April 5
X Ambassadors unveil new song 'Follow The Sound Of My Voice' from anticipated album 'Townie' out April 5
Newsdesk
March 28 2024
Today, X Ambassadors—Sam Nelson Harris and Casey Harris along with Adam Levin—unveil new song, “Follow The Sound of My Voice,” a powerful and loving tribute written by Sam for his brother and bandmate, Casey.
The track is the latest shared from the band’s highly anticipated new album, Townie, which will be released next Friday, April 5 via Virgin Music (pre-order/pre-save here). The album marks a compelling new chapter for the band as they return to their upstate New York roots and paint an intricate portrait of their hometown’s most mundane aspects and the community that molded them. Ahead of the release, the band has shared three additional tracks: “Your Town,” “No Strings” and “Half-Life.”
Of “Follow The Sound of My Voice,” Sam shares: “I was terrified to write this song. When I first started thinking about Townie, I had an idea to write a song about every member of the band. Then I realized that I would have to write a song about my brother, Casey. My stomach instantly went into knots. It scared me so much -- not only because distilling our entire relationship into a single song seemed so daunting, but also because I knew that I’d have to talk very candidly about a pretty big elephant in the room.
Casey is blind. He was born blind due to a genetic disorder called Senior-Løken syndrome. I’ve helped my brother navigate through the world my whole life. He uses a cane, but I’m often also guiding him by the shoulder. And when he doesn’t have his cane and my hands are full, he has to rely solely on the sound of my voice. Just a voice in the dark, reaching out.
Casey— being your brother has been the greatest gift I could’ve ever asked for. And for all the times I’ve used you to skip to the front of the line at the airport, I’ll love you forever.”
Adding to an already notable year, X Ambassadors recently wrapped their hugely successful U.K./European tour, with sold out nights in Paris, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Munich, Zurich, Cologne and their largest show to date in London. They’ll continue to tour in support of the new music through this summer with extensive North American dates beginning next Friday, April 5 and including stops in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Austin and more. Complete list of dates below. The shows will see support from New West and Rowan Drake in the U.S., and Noah Gundersen in Canada.
Townie follows a move from the band’s hometown of Ithaca, New York to Brooklyn, an explosive debut album, extensive global touring, as well as recent work with massive artists such as Lizzo, Rihanna, The Weeknd and SZA, and multiple songs penned for major motion pictures.
Reflecting on the project, Sam shares, “A gas station glows in the night, two miles from the Tompkins County line. It cuts through the bleak, winter night like a grotesque, twenty-first century lighthouse. To the east— the college town of Ithaca, NY. To the west, everything else. The air is cold and unforgiving. The landscape every shade of grey and brown on the color-wheel. A couple of teenagers loiter in the parking lot, plotting their escape. Most of them know they won’t ever leave this town, so tonight their escape is a temporary one. Rollies and half-drank liters of Mountain Dew. Grapefruit blunts and chapped lips. Their baggy clothes full of restlessness and longing. This is Townie.”
Townie adds to a renowned career for X Ambassadors, who exploded onto the scene in 2015 with the success of their Platinum-certified debut album, VHS. The record featured singles “Unsteady” and “Renegades,” which have since garnered more than 1.3 billion streams on Spotify and led the band to a three-year long world tour. VHS was followed by ORION (2019), the Belong EP (2020), The Beautiful Liar (2021) and (Eg) (2023), a series of collaborative singles featuring artists such as BRELAND, Teddy Swims & Jac Ross, Medium Build and PAMÉ.
Recently, the band released “Deep End,” which was written for and featured in the new movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The track is just the latest contribution the band has made to major films, with other works including “Torches” (Transformers), “Great Unknown” (The Call of the Wild) and “Sucker for Pain” (Suicide Squad) among others.
TOWNIE TRACK LIST
1. Sunoco
2. Smoke on the Highway
3. Your Town
4. I’m Not Really Here
5. Rashad
6. (first dam)
7. Fallout
8. Women’s Jeans
9. Half-Life
10. Follow the Sound of My Voice
11. Start A Band
12. No Strings
ON TOUR - BUY X AMBASSADORS TICKETS NOW!
05-May-2024-US - San Diego, The Observatory North Park
06-May-2024-US - Los Angeles, Los Angeles State Historic Park
08-May-2024-US - San Luis Obispo, Fremont Theater
09-May-2024-US - San Francisco, August Hall
11-May-2024-US - Portland, Hawthorne Theatre
14-May-2024-US - Salt Lake City, The Depot
16-May-2024-US - Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Center
18-May-2024-US - Omaha, Slowdown
19-May-2024-US - Minneapolis, Varsity Theater
20-May-2024-US - Des Moines, Wooly's
21-May-2024-US - Chicago, House of Blues Chicago presented by Cricket Wireless
22-May-2024-US - Grand Rapids, The Intersection
22-May-2024-US - San Francisco, August Hall
24-May-2024-US - Detroit, Saint Andrews Hall
26-May-2024-US - Milwaukee, The Rave-Eagles Club
26-May-2024-US - Cleveland, House of Blues Cleveland presented by Cricket Wireless
28-May-2024-US - Millvale, Mr Smalls Theatre
29-May-2024-US - Philadelphia, Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
31-May-2024-US - New York, Irving Plaza presented by Cricket Wireless
