New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On May 5th, Walter Martin, lyricist, co-writer, and multi-instrumentalist of The Walkmen, will release his new album My Kinda
Music via his own imprint Ile Flottante Music. As the second installment of his
Juvenile Series, it follows 2014's award winning and critically acclaimed album We're All Young Together. Set to a rollicking musical backdrop, My Kinda
Music tells vivid stories of music-making, family history, and self-discovery. In "Trip on a Ship", Walter is joined by
Laura Gibson as they sing to each other about the complications of an innocent crush.
"I decided I wanted to do everything very differently from what I've done before," Walter told Billboard who premiered the track this morning. "I decided to follow my most natural instincts and see what I came up with. There's still a part of my brain that just likes operating like that. I get to follow my silliest impulses, and it's really therapeutic for me."
Lead single "Hey Matt" is also out now which features The National's Matt Berninger who gives Walter singing lessons and the two friends discuss a recent (and real) rejection by his idol Randy Newman. News of the album announce was picked up by Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, American Songwriter, Paste, and Stereogum who called the new song "delightful" and stated "Martin's music has a knack for bustling with life, and this new material is no different, filled to the brim with contagious, upbeat energy."
My Kinda
Music features Martin's signature knockabout and quirky sound filled with delicate musical moments, but his focus is clearly on the stories. His vocals are the centerpiece of the album; he's developed a plainspoken narrative approach that mixes genuine emotion and absurd humor in an entirely natural way. In addition to Berninger and Gibson, other notable contributors include mixers Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses) and Gabe Wax (War on Drugs, Beirut), both of whom put their unique stamps on the tracks they mixed.
Martin's interest in narration and the art of storytelling goes back to his childhood. "I'll never forget being a kid listening to Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days on long family car trips. I'd be lying in the nauseating back seat of our minivan transfixed by the warmth and humor of his stories. And up in the front my parents would be experiencing the exact same thing. My goal with this album is to induce that same kind of wonderful family hypnosis."
My Kinda
Music follows 2014's We're All Young Together which garnered much critical praise, produced a long-standing #1 single on
Sirius XM's family station, and included songs featured in major advertising campaigns for iPhone and Android. Additionally, We're All Young Together won a Parents' Choice Award and earned
Martin an invitation to the Sydney Opera House where he performed the album in its entirety.
"I like albums where you can understand every word and the lyrics tell a clear story and paint a clear picture. No attempts at abstraction or poetry - just direct storytelling. That's what i'm going for."
Track List:
01) The Wishing Well
02) Trip on a Ship (feat.
Laura Gibson)
03) Hey Matt (feat. Matt Berninger)
04) Family Tree
05) Child, The Man Said
06) My Kinda Music
07) The Everglades
08) Where'd You Go Uncle Joe?
09)
Marco Polo
10) It's a
Dream (Night Version)
