Equal parts heathen and heaven, Fotocrime's new album is summoned from a darkness that lives all around us, deep within us. Fotocrime not only survives, but thrives in the shadows-beneath a heaviness that cannot be escaped, within melodies that defy light and dark. With South Of Heaven, the second full-length chapter in the project's narrative, Fotocrime has found comfort on the fringe.
"This is a record for late night drives, a soundtrack for headlights illuminating the horizon," R., the singer, songwriter, musician, and producer behind Fotocrime, says. "I'll make music until the end of my days, with or without a listener, but I'm happy to have a passenger for the ride into the dark."
The drive begins on Side A, where South of Heaven hits like a hammer at one moment and soothes like a hand on the shoulder the next. The third track (and first single), "Love Is A Devil," swims in the open wounds and spilled blood of heartbreak. No matter the subject matter, R. sings with a conviction that is dire, leaving no doubt that exorcising these demons is not just artistic martyrdom-it is a biological imperative.
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South of Heaven is the backlit highway slithering from 2018's debut full-length Principle of Pain, and the stories comprising South of Heaven are winding and boundless, unfolding with unexpected paths and hairpin turns. Touching the myths of Saturn and Phaethon and mining the lives of Bruno Ganz and Francis Bacon, South of Heaven carves a landscape that spans both earthly and astral planes.
And while Fotocrime is a distillation and dilation of R.'s own life, he doesn't wander the road entirely alone. Pervading South of Heaven's ten tracks is the spirit of producer and primary engineer J. Robbins (Jawbox), who brings both detail and gusto to the album mix, from sessions recorded by Steve Albini (Shellac) at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Simon Small in London, and Robbins in Baltimore. The album features an arsenal of guests including Hayden Menzies (Metz), Janet Morgan (Channels), Nick Thieneman (Young Widows), Erik Denno (Kerosene 454), and Rob Moran (Unbroken) bringing the instrumental artillery.
"It's been a journey of persistence and obsession, more character actor than leading man," R. says. "South of Heaven is deeply personal, an honest fiction, an exposed nerve pulsing in a blanket of fog."
South of Heaven will be released via Profound Lore on March 13, 2020. Fotocrime will tour North America in support of the album - dates are below, and more news will surface soon.
FOTOCRIME - ON TOUR:
February 15 Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Yacht Club ^
March 5 San Luis Potosi, MEX @ 7 Barrios
March 6 Morelia, MEX @ Cactux Bar
March 7 Mexico City, MEX @ Centro De Salud
March 13 San Diego, CA @ Whistle Stop
March 14 Los Angeles, CA @ 5 Star Bar *
March 15 Oakland, CA @ Elbo Room JL *
March 18 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
March 19 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
March 27 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar +
March 28 Birmingham, AL @ Firehouse +
March 29 Atlanta, GA @ 529 +
March 30 Raleigh, NC @ Slim's +
March 31 Richmond, VA @ Fallout +
April 1 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery +
April 2 Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds +
April 3 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge +
April 4 Boston, MA @ O'Brien's +
April 5 Quebec City, QC @ L'Anti +
April 6 Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo +
April 7 Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Deckuf +
April 8 Toronto, ON @ Bovine Sex Club +
April 11 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Downstairs +
^ w/ HIDE
* w/ Primary
+ w/ Fool's Ghost
South of Heaven, Track Listing:
1. Invisible
2. Foto On Wire
4. Up Above the World
5. Hold Me in the Night
6. Never Fall Out of Love
7. Expulsion from Paradise
8. Blue Smoke
9. Chaos & Cosmos
10. Tough Skin
Artist photo: Katie Lovecraft.
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