THIRD FULL-LENGTH ALBUM PERSONA
DUE OUT NOVEMBER 15 VIA VIRGIN MUSIC GROUP |
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Los Angeles, CA – October 11, 2024 – Indie pop/rock trio half•alive have released their heavy-hitting new single “Automatic” today. [STREAM HERE] With a chaotic and propulsive energy and lyrics like “watch the world burn, kiss it away, notice your heart, breaking like waves… everybody’s talking bout it, still you keep your head down, lose yourself in the static, blame it on each other”, this showcases a side to the band that fans may not be used to seeing yet, but is absolutely necessary on an album all about what makes humans, well…human. “We had a lot of expressive songs on the record, but nothing angry. An angry song is a bit challenging for us actually. We can write songs you can dance or nod your head to all day, but a song where you can thrash around or run fast to is different,” shares vocalist Josh Taylor. “A song worth being loud about comes from somewhere deep inside the gut, from looking at some ugly part of human nature and screaming at it— in this case it’s an ache for a healthy world and a call for accountability in how we are hurting it.” The accompanying visual, once again directed by Taylor, formally introduces fans to the truly captivating mascots of Persona – Sonny and Cher. These two “monster-like” creatures were created when the band stumbled upon a digital artist online. An Instagram account (@blatant.space) full of images of exaggerated monsters and fantastical creatures with both animal and humanoid features left half•alive wondering about the stories behind these characters and what it would mean to bring them to life. With the artists’ blessing, the band fabricated two monster mascots that represent the idea that your persona is a different skin that you wear to protect your true self. |
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“Automatic” is the second single from the band’s forthcoming third studio album Persona, due out November 15 via Virgin Music Group. “When starting the writing process for this album, we intentionally kept things broad, painting with a wide brush,” shares Josh Taylor. “As we developed ‘Sophie’s House’, an idea emerged that we kept throughout the entire record- to boil every song down to its most essential elements.” Fans got a taste of Persona with the release of the first single “Sophie’s House” last month. Check out the music video, inspired by MGM-style musicals like West Side Story, here. For a band that is known for their dynamic visuals and captivating production, the Long Beach-based trio, made up of multi-instrumentalists Brett Kramer, Josh Taylor and J Tyler Johnson, were inspired to peel back the layers in the studio with producer Tommy King (HAIM, The 1975, Vampire Weekend). Adding in collaborators like Justin Tranter, Skyler Stonestreet, Emma Rosen and Jonah Shy, half•alive created songs that were captivating and shocking while also being focused and intentional, as well as having award-winning choreographers JA Collective (made up of Jordan Johnson and Aidan Carberry) reprise their roles to direct movement across the visuals. Persona aims to be a bold, cohesive and compact body of work that touches on love, anger, longing, crisis and estrangement. Throughout 11 tracks, half•alive will also explore what it means to be human – how do personalities develop and how does the outside world perceive you. At the end of it all, they challenge you to answer the question – are you looking or are you seeing? Fans can pre-order and pre-save Persona ahead of its release here. |
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About half•alive: The music of half•alive breathes, evolves, grows, and changes alongside the lives of the Long Beach trio—Josh Taylor [vocals], Brett Kramer [drums] and J Tyler Johnson [bass]. half•alive officially came to life on the 2017 3 EP, which sparked a palpable buzz on the strength of “The Fall” and “Aawake At Night”. Over the course of the next year, they crafted what became their massive breakout single “still feel.” which has been RIAA certified Gold, rocketed into the Top 10 at Alt Radio and has over 285 million worldwide streams to date. Since then, the band has released two full-length albums, were named YouTube’s Artist on the Rise, have had multiple Top 20 Alt Radio singles, performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, secured a spot in Vevo’s DSCVR class and showcased their incredibly creative artistry at NPR’s Tiny Desk with the outlet calling them “a band with a clear vision and gift for design, not just in the earworms they write, but in their entire presentation.” With help from incredible collaborators like choreographers and creative partners Jordan Johnson and Aidan Carberry, otherwise known as JA Collective, half•alive have completed three headlining tours across the United States, EU and UK, supported Twenty One Pilots on a massive arena tour and have graced major festival stages like Outside Lands, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Celebrated for their cutting-edge choreography and visual presentations both on and off the stage, the band has quickly become the definition of a must-be-seen to be believed act. To Pre-Save / Pre-Order Persona: https://halfalive.lnk.to/persona |
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