New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) Sons of the Sea, the new project from
Incubus frontman
Brandon Boyd, explores the sunny harmonies of the '60s and '70s with its self-titled full-length album, out on
September 24th. With "elegant, nuanced pop songs that show rock influence, yet ultimately live outside of the genre," Billboard says, the album is a "welcome extension" of Boyd's platinum-selling
Incubus releases.
Merging "the sounds of the
Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson" (USA Today) with the alternative rock Boyd has pioneered over two decades, 'Sons of the Sea' finds the singer expressing his L.A.-inflected optimism through songs based on piano and guitar and embellished with strings, bells, organs and retro synth. Boyd reaches for his staple lyrical themes, from the avian imagery on soaring opener "Jet
Black Crow," which hints at Jeff Buckley's 'Grace,' to the nautical symbolism on "Space & Time," a jaunty, California-pop romp. "Come Together," with a four-on-the-floor beat and swelling strings, is Boyd's most danceable (and sexually charged) song to date. On "Lady Black," he drops a witty observation about a lover's smoking habits ("she rolls her own / I should've known") over spacey, '80s-sounding keyboards, while the rhapsodic outro of "Where All the Songs Come From" sounds like The Flaming Lips. A shimmering update on Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" makes a fitting closer.
The full-length album follows Sons of the Sea's debut EP 'Compass,' which was released in June, earning accolades from Rolling Stone, Elle and USA Today, who praised its "diverse palette of musical sensibilities." (Fans have also embraced Boyd's new work, rating it an overall five out of five stars on iTunes). The project grew out of the long relationship between iconic producer Brendan O'Brien, who in addition to
Incubus has produced
Pearl Jam, The
Killers and Rage Against the Machine. Boyd, who had never written with anyone other than his
Incubus bandmates, contributed vocals and lyrics, while O'Brien performed most of the music, with an assist from go-to rock session drummer Josh Freese.
Boyd describes his and O'Brien's collaboration as more accessible and "song-based" than
Incubus material. "[We were] two artists who had worked together before, but now in a completely different context," he says. "Every song we worked on was different from the next one. It was a process of continual discovery."
In recent years Boyd has been building a body of work that also includes visual art and writing. An environmental activist and avid surfer, he released his solo debut, 'The Wild Trapeze,' under his own name in 2010, and will publish his third book of paintings, titled 'So The Echo,' concurrently with 'Sons of The Sea'.
Available digitally, on CD and on 180 gram vinyl (with a digital download) 'Sons of the Sea' will be distributed and marketed by INgrooves/INresidence.
Brandon Boyd on the web:
www.brandonboyd.me
Pre-order 'Sons of the Sea':
CD- https://www.amazon.com/Sons-Sea/dp/B00DZAWP00
LP- https://www.amazon.com/Sons-Sea/dp/B00DZAWPVO
