Cold Specks On Tour Plus Debut WILD CARD Live Video Via BYT Feature, FOOL'S PARADISE Out Now

Earlier this year, Ladan Hussein, known on stage as Cold Specks, released her new album Fool's Paradise on Arts & Crafts. The album is Hussein's most personal work yet, intimately exploring her identity as a Somali-Canadian woman. Cold Specks' Fools Paradise world tour continues with a show tonightin Chicago at The Empty Bottle, and ending on 12/7 with a show in New York at Baby's All Right (see tour dates here or below). Today, the band shares a new live video performing album cut "Wild Card" at Easy Life Studios via Brightest Young Things.

Fool's Paradise encapsulates the naturalness of existing during difficult times. Ladan Hussein recently learned about her family's former life in Somalia. During the writing process, she dug deep into grainy VHS recordings found online of Somali musicians, songs and videos that had survived war. "My parents never talked much about life in Mogadishu growing up" Hussein explains, "the war split up my family, scattered them around the world, left many missing, and those that made it were forever changed." Sailing her way to shore after grueling trial, error, and musical acclaim - Fool's Paradise is the sound of finding home, identity, and self-love.

In 2015, Hussein followed her critically acclaimed debut LP, I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, with the release of Neuroplasticity, both of which were nominated for the Polaris Music Prize with the former also earning a JUNO Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist Of The Year. Between albums, when Cold Specks wasn't writing or touring, Hussein was pin-balling between asks from an enviable roll call of collaborators. She was asked to work onMoby's album Innocents and was invited to play with Joni Mitchell at the singer's 70th birthday alongside the likes of Herbie Hancock. She contributed to Ambrose Akinmusire's 2014 record for Blue Note and Swans' 2014 album To Be Kind. These last two partnerships left a significant impression onNeuroplasticity resulting in the indomitable Swans founder Michael Gira and Akinmusire to both appear on the album. Most recently, she has worked withMassive Attack on the track "Dead Editors" featuring Roots Manuva from their 2016 Ritual Spirit EP.

Photo Credit: Neva Wireko

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