The One Eighties Release Disco-Americana 'No King' Song

Raleigh-area duo The One Eighties released their second single today, October 14, the genre defying Disco-Americana "No King," a song about the demise of an oppressor. It was written and produced by The One Eighties and recorded in their home studio.

But "No King" was nearly ditched early in the process. "It was so far afield from the other music we were making that we almost threw it in the trash several times," says Daniel Cook. But after one night, they started joking around about music video concepts with Fargo and Tarantino-esque themes. So, true to their name, they did a "one-eighty" and decided not only to release the song, but to make an outlandish video featuring a villain who gets sacrificed by his own disco-cult minions.

"We scripted the video before the song was even done," says singer Autumn Brand. "Doing it this way allowed us to finish the song with the video in mind instead of the other way around." The video, also out today was co-directed by Cook, art-directed by Brand, and produced with the support of Myriad, a Raleigh-based video company. It will make its national television debut on DittyTV Sunday, October 16 at 11:00pm ET on The Curve.

"No King" follows The One Eighties debut single "Dead Star Light" which was released on June 3, 2022. The video was seen on CMT.com and DittyTV; They performed the song today on My Carolina Today (CBS), were included in No Depression's "What We're Listening to Column."

"Dead Star Light" combines traditional roots instrumentation such as guitar, drums, bass, and pedal steel guitar with lush string arrangements and synths and features drummer Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini) and bassist Mark Hill (Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, The Civil Wars).

The duo was part of the critically acclaimed band New Reveille, whose debut album The Keep earned praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone's "10 Artists You Need To Know," and Billboard, to name a few. Despite their growing success and after a series of events, New Reveille parted ways.

So, after many contemplative months, the chronically indecisive songwriters decided to move forward as a duo. They did a "one-eighty" and changed the course of their musical lives, armed with a desire to continue what was only just beginning so they got to work experimenting, recording, and mixing in their Cary, NC home studio.

The One Eighties recently performed for the first time in front of a live crowd when they played AmericanaFest at 3rd & Lindsley on September 16. Their debut album will be released in 2023.

Photo Credit: Chrystal Kelly