sir Was

After recently announcing his new album, Gothenburg artist sir Was, aka Joel Wästberg,

is sharing a new video for the lead single "Deployed", which features a collaboration with Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano.

The track is taken from his upcoming album 'Holding On To A Dream', which is due Sept 20th via Memphis Industries.

Speaking about the video, director Damien Priest said: 

"We found this abandoned underground water reservoir and the place was just unreal, very inspiring. Pitch black, cold, humid, with the longest natural reverb we ever heard. Then we just had fun with lights and rollerblade."

sir Was says of his relationship with Little Dragon 

“Me and Little Dragon go way back. I’ve been hanging out with them for many years, and they were very supportive with my first album.

I remember that Yukimi was always asking me if I was making my own music. One day I was working in my small studio room, and Little Dragon were one floor up.

Yukimi knocked on the door and asked if she could listen. I played her some of my songs and she said, “This is great, go out and talk to the world!”.

That was before my first album. So having Little Dragon as a feature

here makes so much sense.” 

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"Holding on To a Dream”, is a mesmerising twisting of genres - from classic soul and old-school hip-hop, to beautifully fresh pop structures.

The new record is dense with ideas and adventurous, a sonic-leap forth.

“I was interested in having a lusher sound, more rich,” Wästberg says. 

“With the first record I had this idea that I wanted it to sound like an old vinyl record. I wanted this lo-fi, old-school sound.

When I realized that I was actually making another album, I felt a bit scared of the whole thing, but it didn’t take me that long to realise that

the only thing I could do was to make something that felt really right

in my body and soul. I’ve realised that there’s nothing to be afraid of.

I’m ready to explore so much more.”

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The sense of exploration resonates throughout the album and can be defined by its start and end points. Opening track ‘Fly Away’ begins the expedition, a gleaming reflection of past insecurities as a jump-off point for the next chapter, all subtle beats and stark

bursts of guitars that leap out of the mix.

Elsewhere, ‘No Giving Up’ is a tender recollection of a past relationship, set to an equally affectionate composition, a glowing example of Wästberg’s growing songwriting skills, while ‘The Sun Will Shine’ showcases another side of Joel’s skillset, a playful production full of inspired ideas and nuances; a Les Fleurseque mellow breeze in the heat of the summer.

A heartfelt accounting of relationships, of knowing when to let go and when to fight for them, ‘Holding On To A Dream’, is a dreamy, groovy, lustrous treat of a record.  

It’s available to preorder on indie only transparent orange vinyl, standard vinyl and CD.

sir Was has announced a handful of shows, including being selected to perform at Nile Rodgers’ Meltdown and his biggest headline show to date at the Scala in London.

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LIVE DATES

05 August – London, Royal Festival Hall - Nile Rodger’s Meltdown w/Jungle
19 November - Sheffield, Picture House Social
20 November - Leeds, Headrow House
21 November - Manchester, YES
22 November - Glasgow, Broadcast
23 November - Newcastle, Cluny2
24 November - Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
25 November - Bristol, Hy Brasil
27 November – London, Scala
28 November – Brussels, Pilar

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B I Z Z A R R E

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sir Was – Holding On To A Dream

Pre-order here

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