The Rocket Summer Shares New Single BLANKETS
By: Tori Hartshorn Jul. 19, 2019
The Rocket Summer's "mastermind (Billboard)," multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and performer, Bryce Avary, shares his new single, "Blankets," today. The track is the fourth single from the upcoming, new album, Sweet Shivers, due out in two weeks, on August 2, 2019.
The synth-heavy song envelops the listener in a concept of surrender that all of us can relate to and embodies the struggle of trying to stay alive amidst the harsh realities of life. Avary's lyrics show that finding the everyday beauty within the world really helps the process: "speakers on, cruise the streets, by your side, fantasy. windows down, let the air, fill your lungs, mess your hair." He also suggests that there is power in numbers and that we're not in this alone: "stay alive with me, blankets over my eyes I too can't see."
Listen here:
Bryce Avary says:
"There are not reasons for everything, yet, there are no reasons to leave." Easily one of my favorite lyrics on this record. Every time I sing it, even now, it still resonates and cuts deeply into my core.
"Sweet Shivers" (which comes from a lyric in 'Blankets') is referring to an emotion: a feeling of excitement and joy in the unknown, even if the unknown itself is more dressed up in less than ideal feelings of uncertainty. A letting go of sorts; beauty in the free fall. Sonically, to me, the melancholic yet contrastingly hopeful spirit within the journey of the free fall is what this song sounds like.
With insight on how "Blankets" came to be, Avary says:
I wrote the song in the middle of the night watching fuzzy TV in a cabin in rural Texas, long before I tracked it, but I'll never forget what it was like having to cut this vocal in the studio only 2 hours after catching wind that my childhood friend had taken her life. While only parts of the song point to that type of narrative, I think it will forever resonate with me as a lyric that just simply needs to be sung.
The Rocket Summer recently announced a 28-date North American tour. Fans will not only get to hear the new songs live for the first time, but can look forward to singing along to their favorite TRS classics. The up to 2-hour sets will have the quintessential high octane energy that Avary brings to every performance, balanced with intimate, cerebral moments, a delicate craft that Avary has curated and evolved since the dawn of his career.
VIP packages are available for all shows and include: one (1) general admission ticket, early entrance, an acoustic performance, an exclusive VIP tour laminate, a signed poster, and a meet & greet that includes a photo opp. An optional add-on is also available for anyone who wants a signed vinyl copy of Sweet Shivers. VIP and general admission tickets are all on-sale now. Tickets & details can be found at therocketsummer.com.
Avary writes to his fans: "The Rocket Summer Tour 2019. It's time. Playing live and living within the spirit of the collective heartbeat we share inside these rooms, around these songs, is like oxygen to me. Join me as I finally come up for air. My band and I, along with you, plan to annihilate the spirit of the mundane and throw color into the grey night after night. I need this, I need you and I can't wait to see you soon."
The new album, Sweet Shivers, was announced alongside a pre-order campaign, including exclusive limited items ranging from handwritten lyrics to vinyl test pressings, and instruments used on the recording, many of which sold out within hours of launch. Avary's "long-awaited (Alternative Press)," seventh studio album, Sweet Shivers was crafted between a rural Texan cabin and Los Angeles, bringing a broad perspective that permeates the album. Like the bumblebee that graces the album's cover who sees color differently than humans, the collection of songs invites listeners to try on a new perceptive lens. The album is Avary's first since 2016's critically-acclaimed Zoetic which was praised by New Noise Magazine as "undoubtedly The Rocket Summer's best release," and marks another defiant step forward in his sonic evolution following sold out dates on his most recent headlining tour.
For a first taste of Sweet Shivers, The Rocker Summer also recently shared the anthemic, debut single, "Shatter Us." The brand new video explores the emotion that builds in the song through dancer / actress Brianna Brill, and fans get a cameo of Bryce Avary. The song debuted exclusively on Alternative Press. Avary says, "when I close my eyes and hear this song... I envision it being nighttime and buildings all around me seemingly crumbling yet refusing to allow the wreckage and debris take down what's most important in my life. I don't hear it as a 'woe is me' type of lyric, but rather more of a battle cry to refuse to slip when the rain is pummeling. Sonically, I wanted to paint a picture that was explosive and calm, soft and violent." The song sets the stage for the forthcoming album and the project's "veritable army of die-hard fans (Diffuser FM)" can secure their tickets to see it performed live, starting now.
SWEET SHIVERS TOUR DATES
September:
9/10 - Rebel Lounge - Phoenix, AZ
9/12 - 3TEN - Austin, TX
9/13 - The Kessler - Dallas, TX
9/14 - White Oak Upstairs - Houston, TX
9/17 - The Social - Orlando, FL
9/19 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN
9/20 - Masquerade Hell - Atlanta, GA
9/21 - Cat's Cradle Back Room, Carrboro, NC
9/22 - Visulite - Charlotte, NC
9/24 - Union Stage - Washington, DC
9/25 - The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
9/27 - ONCE Somerville - Boston, MA
9/28 - Gramercy - New York, NY
9/29 - Rec Room - Buffalo, NY
October:
10/1 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
10/3 - Musica - Akron, OH
10/4 - The Loving Touch - Detroit, MI
10/5 - Chop Shop - Chicago, IL
10/6 - Amsterdam - Minneapolis, MN
10/8 - Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
10/10 - Marquis - Denver, CO
10/11 - In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
10/13 - Crocodile - Seattle, WA
10/14 - Lola's Room - Portland, OR
10/16 - Starline, Oakland, CA
10/17 - The Roxy - Los Angeles, CA
10/18 - Soda Bar - San Diego, CA
10/19 - Bunkhouse Saloon - Las Vegas, NV
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