Abraham Alexander to Release Debut Album 'SEA/SONS' in April

Singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander's highly anticipated debut album, SEA/SONS, is due April 14 on Dualtone Records.

In anticipation of the forthcoming record-which features appearances by Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr.-Alexander is sharing the new single "Tears Run Dry" alongside a video.

"In writing 'Tears Run Dry,' I was inspired by family friends celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. As they were sharing their story with me, I was determined to inject the emotions I was feeling into a song," Alexander explains. "The song is about love and wonder. The longing to love someone through a hard time and make whatever pain they are feeling disappear."

Alexander will perform at this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, June 15 in Manchester, TN. Most recently he appeared at The Troubadour in Los Angeles as part of the Americana Music Association's pre-Grammys tribute to Lucinda Williams, standing out amongst the star-studded lineup of Mumford & Sons, Dwight Yoakam, Allison Russell, Molly Tuttle and more.

The Tennessean raved, "The best tribute shows introduce audiences to at least one artist they won't soon forget. Saturday night, that was Abraham Alexander," while Bob Lefsetz praised, "the surprise was one man band Abraham Alexander, making his Gibson talk and sing while he pounded the big bass drum."

Alexander is also featured in a short documentary film about his music and debut record titled Abraham Alexander: The Making of SEA/SONS.

Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11 to escape the racial tensions they faced in his birthplace. Shortly after moving to the states, his birth mother was killed in a car accident with a drunk driver, leading Alexander to be adopted later in his teens.

He found solace in sports as a soccer prodigy and later, following a torn ACL that ended his playing career, in music once a friend handed Alexander a guitar and he unexpectedly found songs pouring out of him.

While working as a bank teller and rehearsing during his lunch breaks, a life-changing, chance encounter with Leon Bridges changed the course of Alexander's life. "...something in me was just like, you need to talk to this guy. It was weird, but it was that intuition that I could not dismiss."

This very intuition led him to his first experience in a recording studio, singing on Bridges' songs such as "River" and "Coming Home." It was Bridges that encouraged him to start taking music seriously, and he began performing at open mics.

The 11 tracks on SEA/SONS touch on themes of loss, redemption, longing, anguish and joy. And while his lyrics speak to pain, trauma and life-changing loss, he instills his music with a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope.

"The image on the cover is me and my brothers in the ocean in Greece," he explains of the album. "So, the title is me thanking my brothers in a way and just reminiscing about us being in the ocean and how time isn't really a concept that kids grasp." He continues, "SEA/SONS is a reminder for us to be in the moment in the sea and to dwell in the healing place, not looking at the clock."

Co-produced by Alexander himself with the help of Matt Pence (The Breeders, Yuck, Here We Go Magic) and Brad Cook (Nathaniel Rateliff, Kevin Morby, Bon Iver), the songs on the album date back as far as 2014-15 with many others being written during the pandemic. Alexander recently shared the album tracks "Heart of Gold" and "Stay (featuring Gary Clark Jr.)."

From his modest musical beginnings performing at open mics in Fort Worth, TX, Alexander has gone on to recent stints on the road opening for Leon Bridges, Black Pumas and Mavis Staples. He recently toured with Lucius late last year and has also supported the likes of Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ani DiFranco, Shakey Graves and Gary Clark Jr.

Photo credit: Elle Caerbert

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