PublicART Premieres New Single and Announces EP Release Date

Los Angeles-based electro-folk duo PublicART will release their new EP Modernika on September 21st. The record was produced and mixed by the band's multi-instrumentalist Jan Ozveren, co-produced by singer Stevvi Alexander, with all songs co-written by both. Mastering was performed by multi-award winner Reuben Cohen (Iggy Pop, Pharrell Williams, Interpol). Modernika is available for pre-order now from iTunes.

The first single from the EP, "Montreux" was exclusively premiered by BlackBook Magazine, who called the song "a paradigm of romantic, gossamer synth-pop, with Stevvi's transcendental vocal performance lyrically pondering impermanence and otherworldliness." Of the song, Stevvi told the outlet "'Montreux' is the kind of song you can get lost in. It's transportive, visual and almost feels meditative. It always seems to take me out of the moment I'm in and deliver me to a much cooler, melodic landscape. The track sounds simple because space is built into it but it's actually quite complex and crafty."

On the record as a whole, Jan adds, "Modernika is an exploration into electronic textures. Drawing from our favorite R&B influences of the 80's, we mixed acoustic instruments with analog synth loops and drum machines. These songs will draw you in and make you dance and dream."

A video for "Montreux" is currently being prepared, and the band will soon announce a slate of live dates in support of Modernika.

about PublicART:

PublicART is a Silverlake-based synth-folk duo. Individually Stevvi and Jan have been in demand as hired guns and collaborators for artists ranging from Fleetwood Mac, Frank Ocean, Shakira, Macy Gray, Róisín Murphy and The Roots. Stevvi is presently working with composer Ramin Djawadi, featuring as the lead soloist for the touring production of the score from Game of Thrones. Jan, originally from London, is currently the principal guitarist for Charlie Puth, working closely with him on tour as well as on the recordings of many of his hits. With the realization that their musical tastes compliment each other seamlessly, it was only natural that they would join forces and make their own noise.

PublicART's first release Kites explored their love of Americana infused with alternative sonic textures and an added R&B sensibility. Now evoking the cool folk distillations of Zero7, the tenderness of Sade and the industrial aesthetic of Beach House, their follow up EP Modernika is a reflection of their growth into more electro-informed production. With pulsing synth lines, retro drum machines, acoustic instruments and Quincy Jones-inspired arrangements, each song represents a lyrical snapshot of a true experience. In "Montreux" we are transported to a lake in the hills of Switzerland, where two people attending the historic music festival have an extraordinary exchange that gives them a glimpse into what could have been. "Forever Keep Me" tells the tale of a woman who is forever held in the grasp of a love that is always promised but never executed. In "Light Years" a new relationship promises a special connection but instead we find out that the paradise we've discovered was inside ourselves all along.

Modernika is a collection of thoughtfully-written, masterfully-produced songs that will surely find their way onto many curated playlists and media of all kinds worldwide. As they are soon to take their music on the road, PublicART are about to leave their mark on the indie world with their own original sound.

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