PORTLAND, Ore., June 26, 2020 – Award-winning Portland based hip hop duo Eastern Sunz are set to release their new album Fuel For a Fool's Errand on Friday, June 26, which will be their first studio album in five years.
On Fuel For a Fool's Errand, Eastern Sunz continue their departure from sample-heavy music in favor of more live instrumentation and enlist a team of over 25 musicians, singers, and rappers including Farnell Newton (Jill Scott/Bootsy Collins), Vursatyl (Lifesavas), and hip hop legend Ras Kass. To help the album maintain a consistent, yet diverse sound, the Sunz brought on longtime producer SmokeM2D6 (K Records/Old Dominion) who recently had his music featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
Lyrically, Eastern Sunz build upon their thought-provoking style, referred to by CMJ Magazine as “intellectual hip hop” by covering a wide range of topical issues such as climate change, police brutality, corporate influence in politics, and misconceptions about social assistance.
“We've always been critical of our government and aimed to examine the world, but now everything has been heightened. We began working on this album prior to the 2016 election and since then we've seen an increasingly charged political climate. Add to that the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are living through one of the most interesting points in our lifetime. Lyrics that we wrote years ago seem more relevant than ever right now.” explains Aaron Harris (stage name Courage).
“We took our time to craft this album into something that lives up to our standards and a lot of songs didn't make the cut. The process started over three years ago and we finally are at a place that we are both happy with the end result. It was important that we covered everything we wanted to talk about.” adds Travis Taylor (stage name TravisT).
Fuel for a Fool's Errand was recently selected from thousands of submissions as a nominee for the 18th Annual Independent Music Awards Album of the Year. The IMAs recognize exceptional work by indie creatives from around the globe and celebrate everything that makes indie music authentic and unique.
Starting Friday, June 26, Fuel for a Fool's Errand will be available to download on all digital music platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and More. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album release party will now take place online through Facebook Live.
credits
released June 26, 2020
All songs written by T. Taylor and A. Harris
(except featured artists)
All songs produced and mixed by Smoke M2D6
All songs recorded by Zebulon Dak at Momentum Studio
All songs mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering
Additional Recording by Prince Strickland at Portland Underground Recording
Album Artwork by Brenda Parra
Rahim Thornhill – Guitar/Bass/Vocals/E-bow
Jonathan Roberts – Synth/Rhodes/Trumpet/Piano
Andrew Cheng – Drums/Percussion
Kate Kilbourne - Violin
Kyle Smith – Guitar/E-bow
Farnell Newton - Trumpet
Martin Gerber – Bass
Austin Kasner - Guitar
Darian Asplund – Clarinet/Flute
Dylan Rieck – Cello
Danny Haigh - Keyboard
Poeina – Vocals
Jessie Branch – Vocals
Raelyn Olsen – Harp
Nolan Staples – Upright Bass
DJ Flip Flop – Scratches
Rahim Thornhill appears on Track 2 and 10
Erina appears on Track 6 and 11
Vursatyl appears on Track 4
ASPHATE appears on Track 5
Ras Kass appears on Track 9
Poeina appears on Track 1, 3, 7, 10, and 11
Smoke M2D6 appears on Track 11
Eastern Sunz provide a fresh take on sociopolitical issues which has landed them the Independent Music Award for Album of
the Year, the Eco Arts Awards Grand Prize, first place in the International Songwriting Competition, and the John Lennon songwriting contest grand prize....more
supported by 4 fans who also own “Fuel For a Fool's Errand (2020)”
Just a beautiful jazzy rap album with buttery smooth flows versed with huge talent. It's not only lovely to the ears, but the lyrics are profound and empowering about the struggles that she faces. zhangtastic
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