Rubblebucket Reveal New Single LEMONADE From Upcoming LP SUN MACHINE + Announce Tour
By: Macon Prickett Jun. 26, 2018
Rubblebucket - Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth - has shared a new single, "Lemonade" off their forthcoming LP Sun Machine. While the LP, which is set for release August 24 on Grand Jury Music, documents the pain of the duo's long-term romantic relationship ending, it emerges as an unbridled and often-euphoric celebration of their lasting connection. Despite what they were going through, Kalmia and Alex kept on writing and recording together, ultimately creating what is their most transcendent album to date.
"Lemonade" was written by Toth who notes, ""As the lyrics came together I realized I was kind of writing the song from Kal's perspective, singing to me. I didn't know what project the song was for (my solo record, a friend's band, a pop star?) but when Kal and I realized Rubblebucket wasn't ending with our breakup, but gaining new life, this song made perfect sense."
In support of Sun Machine Rubblebucket have confirmed a U.S. tour with dates throughout the summer and fall. The tour takes the band to, among other markets, Philadelphia, PA, Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL. The full list of dates is below and tickets are available here (link). Live, the band bring the party to any venue they play -- Rolling Stone has called them "the indie rock Miami Sound Machine" and Paste say they are "catchy enough to ass-kick Katy Perry off the pop charts (in a just world)."
Sun Machine marks Rubblebucket's first album for Grand Jury. Today's single is the second glimpse into Sun Machine. Rubblebucket previously shared "Fruity" and Consequence of Sound made note of the track's "cheerful, trance-like sound filled with buoyant rhythms and smoky horns." You can read the CoS "Origins" feature HERE.
Sun Machine documents the pain of Kalmia and Alex's romantic relationship ending, yet emerges as an unbridled and often-euphoric celebration of their lasting connection. While the breakup inspired much of the album, Sun Machine is deeply informed by several other life-changing occurrences in recent years: Kalmia's diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2013 (followed by a round of surgeries and chemo treatments), Alex's decision to get sober after a long struggle with alcoholism, and the couple's three-year-long attempt at maintaining an open relationship. The result is a strange and beautiful paradox: a party album rooted in radical mindfulness, a breakup record imbued with each partner's palpable love for the other.
Musically Sun Machine finds Kalmia and Alex tapping into their creative instincts more freely and directly than ever before. "Kal and I are both jazz musicians, and jazz is very much driven by improvisation-it's about getting in touch with that inner spontaneity, where you're channeling ideas rather than thinking them up," says Alex. "There's a lot of moments on this album that happened from us being in a trance-like zone, and coming up with weird sounds in the middle of the recording, sometimes by accident."
Both band members hope that Sun Machine encourages others to see the possibility for transformation in painful experiences of all kinds. "When I got cancer and Alex quit drinking, that was the beginning of a huge journey for both of us," says Kalmia. "So much of that journey has been about giving myself the freedom to exist on my own terms, believing in my ideas instead of self-editing. I think this album represents both of us allowing ourselves that freedom in a totally new way, and hopefully it'll give people inspiration to be creative in their own lives, and to just soften up a bit too."
Rubblebucket on tour
7/5: Burlington, VT @ Battery Park (The Point Summer Series)
7/7: Portland, ME @ Thompson's Point^
7/13: Canandaigua NY @ Lincoln Hill Farms#
8/1: Troy, NY @ WEQX Riverfront Event+
8/2: Dennis, MA @ Cape Cinema+
8/3: Westerly, RI @ Paddy's Beach Club
8/4: Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes+
9/8: Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts
10/6: Arrington, VA @ The Festy
10/25: Fairfield, CT @ Warehouse
10/26: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/27: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/29: Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
10/30: Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
10/31: Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
11/2: Burnett, TX @ Utopia Fest
11/4: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
11/6: Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
11/7: San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
11/9: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
11/10: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
11/12: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
11/13: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
11/14: Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/17: Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
^ w/ Lake Street Dive
# Star Rover supports
+ And the Kids supports
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