New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Rodrigo Amarante today releases a new single/video, "I Can't Wait," from his forthcoming record, Drama, out July 16th via Polyvinyl. The track opens with cascading melodies from a harpsichord and an eerie guitar, later unfurling with synthesizers and sparse syncopations as he ruminates on hope, freedom and urgency. The accompanying video, which was written by Amarante, is cinematic. It beautifully depicts a morning of a fleeting dream, as Amarante wakes up, gets dressed, and walks to send a letter.
"I wrote this song because Jesus is followed by traitors," says Amarante. "I wrote it because Darwin's ideas are serving the purpose of turning ourselves against one another, because I believe freedom does not stem from independence, separation or disconnect as the dictionaries suggest, but rather from the acknowledgement of our interdependence, because freedom is belonging. I wrote this song because hope isn't enough. I wrote it after bumping into an entry at a Latin dictionary: Noster Nostri - 1: Our, Ours. 2: Our hearts beat as one. 3: That old dream of ours."
Drama is the long-awaited follow-up to Amarante's acclaimed 2014 debut, Cavalo - also being reissued by Polyvinyl, a stunning and intimate collection of songs where "every instrument breathes and every sound blends, yet every moment is distinct" (NPR Music). It also follows "Tuyo," Amarante's theme tune to the Netflix drama Narcos, the
Little Joy album, his work with Gal Costa,
Norah Jones and Gilberto Gil, and his performances Brazilian samba big band Orquestra Imperial and Rio rockers Los Hermanos.
Drama began life at the end of 2018 with a session involving Rodrigo's regular band - "
Lucky"
Paul Taylor on drums, bassist Todd Dahlhoff, Andres Renteria on congas, and Amarante on guitar. With writing and recording continuing through 2019, some songs were pulled out from the back of drawers, and more ideas came anew.
Amarante points to two incidents in his past that fed directly into these recordings: a childhood illness that makes him appreciate the beauty of the second chance; and the moment when his father (with Amarante's begrudging consent) cut off his long hair, an attempt to unburden all the drama and sensitivity from the young man's head. "Dressing up as means to reveal, rather than dressing down, to conceal, that is Drama" says Amarante. "A tool. Tickling memory into confession, seeing through the eye holes of a mask. Peeking into the mirror that is playing a part. This is not something I followed but a posthumous realization, something that followed me, as it often happens. These songs were the instruments to realize it, not the other way around."
Rodrigo Amarante Tour Dates:
Fri. Oct. 22, 2021 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford Theatre
Thu. Dec. 16, 2021 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's
Mon. April 18, 2022 - Porto, PT @ Casa Da Musica
Tue. April 19, 2022 - Lisbon, PT @ Capitolio
Thu. April 21, 2022 - Madrid, ES @ Sala Mon
Fri. April 22, 2022 - Barcelona, ES @ La 2
Sat. April 23, 2022 - Lyon, DR @ L'Épicerie Moderne
Mon. April 25, 2022 - Milano, IT @ Santeria
Tue. April 26, 2022 - Zürich, CH @ Mascotte
Wed. April 27, 2022 - Munich, DE @ Ampere
Thu. April 28, 2022 - Cologne, DE @ Stadtgarten
Fri. April 29, 2022 - Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
Sat. April 30, 2022 - Berlin, DE @ Lido
Mon. May 2, 2022 - Amsterdam, BL @ Paradiso Noord
Wed. May 4, 2022 - London, UK @ Scala
Thu. May 5, 2022 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Fri. May 6, 2022 - Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
Sat. May 7, 2022 - Lille, FR @ Aeronef
Sun. May 8, 2022 - Nantes, FR @ Le Lieu Unique
