Daily Discovery is a feature that will highlight a new or recently discovered artist that we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.
Moses Sumney is heading on tour with Local Natives and has just completed a month long residency at The Bootleg Theater in Echo Park, but the Mid-City Island EP, which comes out tomorrow (April 8), is his first official release. Really, this is a Daily ReDiscovery, as we posted some of Moses’ musical experiments back in mid-2013, when he was still discovering how to best use his uniquely raw and soulful voice.
With the debut EP streaming now, growing recognition, and a Soundcloud page that shows Moses’ versatility, we’re excited to see what he does next. Read what Moses has to say about the EP and what’s behind it, and listen to the whole thing below.
I started making “Mid-City Island” in the fall, after a producer friend lent me an ’80s 4-track recorder and suggested I try recording myself before going into proper studio sessions. It was my first time recording myself, capturing songs immediately to cassette tape as I was writing them. I belatedly decided it would be cool to share these ideas in their infancy so you can trace their development over time.
This project for me is about learning how to let go and share ideas that are raw, simple, and unfiltered. A lot of the parts are thus one-take and improvised. “Mumblin’,” which I recorded with my loop pedal connected to the tape machine, is completely made up on the spot and was only done once. There’s a requisite honesty that comes with bedroom recordings.
Thematically, the songs center around living alone in the middle of a big city like Los Angeles, finding the balance between isolation and over stimulation.
Check out more from Moses Sumney here.
Tour Dates:
April 9 Stubbs Bar-BQ Austin, TX*
April 12 Varsity Theatre Baton Rouge, LA*
April 14 Revolution Live Fort Lauderdale, FL*
April 16 State Theatre
April 17 Free Bird Live Jacksonville, FL*
April 18 The Bijou Theatre
April 19 The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC*
April 21 The Orange Peel
April 22 House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH*
April 24 The Pageant
April 25 Granada
April 26 Ogden Theatre
April 29 The Blue Note
April 30 Ryman Auditorium
May 5 Hollywood Forever Los Angeles, CA
*In support of Local Natives
+In support of Tune-Yards