Mar 7
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One of the very first things that caught my attention when I opened my eyes this morning and grabbed my phone was an email announcing a Poliça show in San Francisco next spring. I rubbed my bleary eyes thinking I was still in some sort of half asleep stupor, but sure enough, my eyes had not deceived me, the band from Minneapolis whom I fell in love with circa 2013 sophomore album Shulamith have suddenly showed new activity! Something new was brewing! Now wide awake, I swiftly popped over to Facebook to take a gander at their socials. Sure enough, Channey Leaneagh and her four bandmates have not only unveiled an expansive list of 2020 tour dates, but they’ve announced a new album and shared a new song & video! Poliça’s fourth album When We Stay Alive will be out on January 31st, 2020, via Memphis Industries. And to kick off the welcome campaign, the group has shared a brooding, propulsive lead single named Driving alongside an Isaac Gale-directed video. It’s such a treat to hear Channy’s smoky bewitching voice anew over a dark entanglement of Poliça’s haunting indietronica and trip hop. Driving is a glorious return for the quintet, an inky hypnotic yet seductively entwining track.
Back in nearly 2018, Channy Leaneagh fell off her roof while clearing ice, smashing her L1 vertebrae and battering her spine, which left her in a brace with limited mobility for months. But the new album isn’t about the accident, it’s about the redemptive power of rewriting your story in order to heal, and reclaiming your identity as a result. Of Driving, she explains, “Laying in bed, as I healed, I would dream of running in green grass and tears would pour from my eyes. Running in the tall tear grass; imagine wanting life and the want remains. ’That is a feeling to hold onto, that life is worth living even when all signs point no.’”
Driving is available now as a double-single featuring non-album track B-side “trash in bed”, co-produced by Boys Noize. Poliça’s 2020 tour dates takes them throughout North America, the UK, and Europe. The Bay Area tour stop that left me breathless with excitement will be on April 21st at the Fillmore in San Francisco! Streaming, downloading, and album pre-order options are listed, here. Needless to say, I’ve already pre-ordered When We Stay Alive. The band is offering up several limited physical bundles for the release, including a gorgeous clear 180g vinyl that’s signed and limited to 500 copies! I simply could not resist.
Composer-performer Daniel Wohl's album État is out now on New Amsterdam & Nonesuch Records. The album features electro-acoustic pieces written by Wohl, with guest performances by Polica's Channy Leaneagh and co-production by Son Lux's Ryan Lott and mmph, and was made with members of yMusic and Calder Quartet. Get it and listen here.
This year’s harsh winter has brought sheets of snow and ice to the Twin Cities, creating dangerous conditions for homeowners. Last week, Minneapolis singer-songwriter Channy Leaneagh (Poliça, Roma di Luna) fell and broke her back while trying to clear ice dams from the roof of her house. A GoFundMe campaign is raising money to cover Leaneagh’s medical bills while the singer is recovering.
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