Son Little will release his new album, ‘Like Neptune‘, next Friday, September 9th via ANTI-. He has now presented its final pre-release single, “inside out,” the follow-up in a string of gorgeous singles – “deeper”, “stoned love”, and “6 AM”. Like Neptune is an open and vulnerable portrayal of unbridled joy and self-acceptance. In this verdant space of freedom, Son Little transmutes the chronic pain of self-doubt into a beautiful opus about overcoming generational trauma, decorating the altar of the primordial blues and elevating the labour of healing to high art. On “inside out”, an at once overly macho part of Son Little finds power in vulnerability. “It came to me very quickly and feels very natural,” says Son Little. “I looped up the piano and drums and then freestyled into this echo chamber effect and voila.” The song places balance and directness over possessiveness and toxicity with a groove inspired by both RZA and Prince.
LISTEN TO ‘inside out’ ON YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY
Like Neptune was conceived in a cabin overlooking the Delaware River in upstate New York. At the beginning of lockdown, Aaron Livingston (aka Son Little) sorted through a closet and found a few boxes that contained 72 of his old writing books. “The oldest book I got as a Christmas present when I was 9,” explains Livingston. “In it, I wrote letters to myself about what was happening in my life. One page refers to a neighbor in Queens who abused me sexually around age 5. It was the first and only time I’d ever acknowledge this fact until after my 19th birthday, when I told my mother what had happened. She begged me to go to therapy. I went under protest. My attempt wasn’t sincere. I wasn’t ready. I thought I could just power through it.” Years of anxiety, depression, panic attacks and existential dread ensued, often dulled or numbed by the effects of alcohol, drugs, or sex. A car crash and arrest finally led him back into therapy in 2017. Aggressively employing progressive methods like EMDR and somatic healing, Livingston, with the help of a trusted therapist, began identifying the roots of his trauma, and where it lives in the body. But the biggest breakthrough came from Internal Family Systems, a methodology that recognizes responses to trauma triggers as distinct entities or ‘parts’ within the person, and requires the patient essentially have conversations with the different traumatized personalities within them.
‘Like Neptune’ establishes Son Little as the polyglot translator and rightful torchbearer of the celebrated musical tradition known as rhythm and blues. With it, he completes the daunting tasks of confronting himself and pushing his sound to completion. The result is a timeless body of work reflective of his deep internal desire to inhabit the most radiant version of himself and become a positive force in the lives of people around him.
LISTEN TO ‘deeper’ ON YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY
LISTEN TO ‘stoned love’ ON YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY
Son Little will return to Europe and the UK in September, starting the tour in Madrid, ES on September 2nd, followed by shows in Germany, Switzerland, Benelux, France and the UK. See below for the full list of dates. Tickets & info at www.sonlittle.com
02 Sept 2022 Madrid, ES – Sala Clamore
03 Sept 2022 Zaragoza, ES – Rock & Blues Cafe
04 Sept 2022 Barcelona, ES – La Nau Locales de Ensayo
07 Sept 2022 Hamburg, DE – Bahnhof Pauli
08 Sept 2022 Berlin, DE – Privatclub – SOLD OUT
09 Sept 2022 Cologne, DE Helios 37
10 Sept 2022 Zurich, CH – Exil
12 Sept 2022 Antwerpen, BE Kavka
14 Sept 2022 Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso Noord
15 Sept 2022 Rotterdam, NL – Bird – SOLD OUT
16 Sept 2022 Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie – SOLD OUT
17 Sept 2022 London, UK – The Garage – SOLD OUT
18 Sept 2022 Brighton, UK The Hope & Ruin – SOLD OUT
‘Like Neptune’ Tracklist
1. drummer
2. 6 AM
3. like neptune
4. bend yr ear
5. inside out
6. Didn’t Mean a Thing
7. stoned love
8. deeper
9. no friend of mine
10. Playing Both Sides
11. gloria
12. what’s good
PRE-ORDER ‘LIKE NEPTUNE’ HERE
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