Durand Jones and the Indications

Review: Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space

Check out that cover! If that alone doesn’t tell you that you’re in for a treat with Private Space, the new album from Durand Jones & The Indications, then I don’t know what will.

Well, the sound will – that’s for certain. Private Space is an outstanding record that moves away a bit from the band’s love of 1960s soul and R&B and embraces its love of 1970s music, which, yes, includes disco. The album was made during the crazy year of 2020, and the band wanted to create something that not only reflected the time, but would also help listeners forget it, even if for just a little while.

“Love Will Work It Out” is the band’s message of hope for the future. They knew the last political cycle and the pandemic would eventually end, and that leaving hatred behind was the only way to move forward (“Joy will set us free, if you do believe. So, don’t you ever doubt that love will work it out.”). The bubbly, bumping synths of “Witchoo” and the wicked bass by Mike Montgomery get you moving no matter what you’re doing. It’s a great song about partying, either by design or at a moment’s notice.

“Private Space” has drummer / co-lead singer Aaron Frazer singing a tale of longing for escape with his lover (“When we stand in a crowd, I feel so far from you. Here we can’t do the things we both know we want to do.”). As if that wasn’t enough to make you run for the nearest bed with your better half, then “More Than Ever” will probably seal the deal as Jones sings, with effortless smoothness, lyrics meant to invoke a shedding of clothing.

“Ride or Die” is a tribute to the vows of “for better or for worse,” as Jones sings about catching rain falling through a leaky roof in a cup with his lover one day and popping champagne bottles with her later after all their hard work and mutual support. The groove that Frazer, keyboardist Steve Okonski, and guitarist Blake Rhein put down on “The Way That I Do” is nothing short of stunning.

“Reach Out” has Jones singing to, on the surface, a lonely woman who’s burdened with stress, but, in reality, to the world in general as everyone needed a helping hand through 2020 (“All them burdens, it’s more than anyone should bear. Silently hurting, but you know you can always share. You’ve been worried the pain will never cease to ache.”).

“Sexy Thang” is just as naughty and funky as you hope it will be with a title like that. “Sea of Love” has Jones realizing he’s made a terrible mistake by letting a lover go for what he thought were greener pastures. Frazer’s simple yet groovy beats pair perfectly with Jones’ vocals and piano work on it. The album closes with the uplifting “I Can See” – a track that stresses better times will come if we work together (“We can’t make it on our own. There’s another way through the darkness all alone. There’s a brighter day.”).

It’s a wonderful record, and one that we all needed coming out of the heaviest part of the pandemic (not to mention the 2020 election and all its aftermath).

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Durand Jones and the Indications proclaim the truth on “Love Will Work It Out.”

Durand Jones & The Indications release a new single/video, “Love Will Work It Out,” from their forthcoming album, Private Space, out July 30th on Dead Oceans in association with Colemine Records. Anchored by the high-low harmonies of Aaron Frazer (drums/vocals) and Durand Jones (vocals), and rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitar), Steve Okonski (keys), and Mike Montgomery (bass), Private Space leans into hope, coalescing around the idea that joy can set us free. “I want listeners to know that through really rough times something beautiful can be birthed,” says Jones, who proclaims on “Love Will Work It Out” that “All the people lost made me fall right onto my knees/all I could do was cry and shout/I knew I had to trust the faith that love would work it out.” The track – inspired by both the pandemic and social justice movements of the past year – is a mellow groove, as Jones’ voice is carried by drifting keys, relaxed percussion, and elegant strings.

“For months into the pandemic and the racial/political chaos that ensued, we found it hard to write,” says the band. “The biggest creative dry spell we’d experienced in a decade. The constant barrage of horrible news felt overwhelming, and songs just seemed inadequate in response to police murdering people in broad daylight. Songs felt inadequate in the face of a virus that decimated communities and kept us apart from our loved ones. We marched, protested, cried, wiped down our groceries, stopped wiping down our groceries, unplugged, breathed, replugged, reengaged. And when music finally flowed, the first song we wrote together was ‘Love Will Work It Out.’ Because conflict and confrontation require bravery, AND so does keeping the faith in the goodness of one another. It’s a big part of what so many people are fighting for- the benefit of the doubt, the ability to be seen as whole, the space to love and trust. It’s been a tough year, but we’ve come out the other side steady and hopeful.”

The accompanying video, directed by Weird Life, presents the band’s retro aesthetic as they perform.

Watch Durand Jones & The Indication’s Video for “Love Will Work It Out”

Following The Indications’ 2019 album, American Love Call, Private Space unlocks the door to a wider range of sounds, boldly launching the band into a world of synthy modern soul and disco beats dotted with strings. The Indications are true masters at melding revival sounds with a modern attitude. The ten tracks across Private Space provide for both an escapist fantasy and a much-needed recentering after a tumultuous 2020.

Developed after being apart for much of the year, Private Space is creatively explosive and delights in upending expectations. Throughout, The Indications highlight a collective resiliency – as well as the power of a good song to be a light in the darkness. From ideation to the final album cut, Private Space is a meditation on what gets us through isolation and loss: community, love and friendship. As the world slowly resets from the chaos of the past year, Private Space comes at just the right time. “I feel we’ll be arriving into people’s lives as they’re exiting a really tough period,” Frazer theorizes. “We’re not out of the woods, but hopefully this allows people to get together again, to share and experience catharsis.”

Watch the Video for “Witchoo”

Pre-order Private Space

Durand Jones & The Indications Tour Dates (new dates in bold):
Sat. Sep. 4 – Hershey, PA @ Harrisburg University At The Englewood
Tue. Sept. 7 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club w/ 79.5
Wed. Sep. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer w/ 79.5
Fri. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel w/ 79.5
Sat. Sept. 11 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club w/ 79.5
Mon. Sept. 13 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre w/ 79.5
Tue. Sept. 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line w/ 79.5
Thu. Sept. 16 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater w/ 79.5
Fri. Sept. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Commonwealth Room w/ 79.5
Mon. Sept. 20 – San Diego, CA @ Soma w/ 79.5
Mon. Sep. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium w/ 79.5
Wed. Sept. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium w/ 79.5
Thu. Sep. 23 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Sept. 24 – Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Fest
Sat. Sep. 25 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley w/ My Morning Jacket
Tue. Sep. 28 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield w/ My Morning Jacket
Wed. Sep. 29 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Pavilion at Riverfront w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Oct. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater w/ My Morning Jacket
Sat. Oct. 2 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater w/ My Morning Jacket
Sun. Oct. 3 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Ampitheater w/ My Morning Jacket
Fri. Oct. 8 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
Thu. Oct. 28 – Sun. Oct. 31 – Live Oak, FL @ Suwanee Hulaween
Sun. May 22, 2022 – Monterey, CA @ California Roots Festival

Keep your mind open.

[I’d love it if you subscribed.]

[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Durand Jones and the Indications drop wicked new single – “Witchoo.”

Durand Jones & The Indications announce their new album, Private Space, out July 30th on Dead Oceans in association with Colemine Records, and a fall North American tour. Following the “immaculate and eternal soul” (The Guardian) of The Indications’ 2019 album, American Love Call, Private Space unlocks the door to a wider range of sounds, boldly launching the band into a world of synthy modern soul and disco beats dotted with strings. Anchored by the high-low harmonies of Aaron Frazer (drums/vocals) and Durand Jones (vocals), and rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitar), Steve Okonski (keys), and Mike Montgomery (bass), The Indications are true masters at melding revival sounds with a modern attitude. The ten tracks across Private Space provide for both an escapist fantasy and a much-needed recentering after a tumultuous 2020.

In conjunction with today’s announcement, they share Private Space’s lead single/video “Witchoo.” Reflective of the track’s vibrant, playful energy, the Weird Life-directed video features the five band members and close friends, transitioning from a live performance to an electric backstage soirée.

Watch the Video for “Witchoo”

“At the end of the day, I just want people to close their eyes and forget where they are. Just the way a Stevie Wonder album does for me,” says Jones. Developed after being apart for much of the year, Private Space is creatively explosive and delights in upending expectations. Throughout, The Indications highlight a collective resiliency – as well as the power of a good song to be a light in the darkness. From an Indiana basement (where the band recorded their 2016 self-titled debut LP as college students), The Indications have catapulted into the soul limelight and an international stage. Following their sophomore album American Love Call — a dreamy but pensive record of big string arrangements and sweet soul stylings — The Indications became revered by vintage music fans, the lowrider community and late-night television.

Between production work, solo efforts and major sold-out shows, Durand Jones & The Indications continue on an unstoppable upswing. With live music temporarily out of the equation, The Indications were able to dive deep into recording their third LP. Uptempo tracks like “Witchoo,” “The Way That I Do” and “Sea of Love” practically manifest the flicker of a disco ball, their pop-funk grooves recalling Idris Muhammad and Raphael Saadiq as well as Pete Rock and DJ Premier. You’ll slow it down as the group evokes the likes of Teddy Pendergrass, the Isley Brothers and Sylvia on “Ride or Die” or “More Than Ever” (“I’ve never felt so sexy as when I was singing that track,” says Jones).

While Private Space is an intentional departure from The Indications’ roots in ‘60s funk and soul, its exploratory vibe is true to their origins and evolving tastes. “There’s a lot of the band’s original DNA, but it’s not a time capsule,” says Rhein. The sound of Private Space isn’t a stretch, Frazer adds. “We’re actually revealing more of ourselves, a deeper and broader look into who we are as musicians and fans.”

Settled in a cabin in upstate New York, the five-piece spent significantly more time experimenting with sound than previous releases. “It was like this buildup of all the ideas, the love, and the need to make music with these guys again,” Jones says. They leaned into songwriting and brought in vibraphonist Joel Ross (Blue Note), an eight-piece string section and friends from the group 79.5 to sing backups. From ideation to the final album cut, Private Space is a meditation on what gets us through isolation and loss: community, love and friendship.

Each Indications album opens with a statement of political consciousness; a musical State of the Union that sets a tone. As Nina Simone once declared, “I choose to reflect the times and situations in which I find myself. That to me is my duty.” Private Space leans into hope, coalescing around the idea that joy can set us free. “I want listeners to know that through really rough times something beautiful can be birthed,” says Jones, who proclaims on “Love Will Work It Out” that “All the people lost made me fall right onto my knees/all I could do was cry and shout/I knew I had to trust the faith that love would work it out.”

As the world slowly resets from the chaos of the past year, Private Space is arriving at just the right time. “I feel we’ll be arriving into people’s lives as they’re exiting a really tough period,” Frazer theorizes. “We’re not out of the woods, but hopefully this allows people to get together again, to share and experience catharsis.”

Pre-order Private Space

Private Space Tracklist
01. Love Will Work It Out
02. Witchoo
03. Private Space
04. More Than Ever
05. Ride or Die
06. The Way That I Do
07. Reach Out
08. Sexy Thang
09. Sea of Love
10. I Can See

Durand Jones & The Indications Tour Dates
(on sale this Friday at 10am local time)
Tue. Sept. 7 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Wed. Sep. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Fri. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Sat. Sept. 11 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. Sept. 13 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Tue. Sept. 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Sept. 16 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
Fri. Sept. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Commonwealth Room
Mon. Sept. 20 – San Diego, CA @ Soma
Wed. Sept. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
Fri. Sept. 24 – Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Fest

Keep your mind open.

[I can get witchoo if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Aaron Frazer – Introducing…

Aaron Frazer‘s debut album, Introducing…, sounds like it’s played by cats who casually walk into a restaurant where they sometimes have jazz or soul bands play on Friday nights, but are playing on a rare Wednesday evening when they have the good chicken pot pie special, and then are so good that your pot pie becomes cold because you forget to eat it due to being wowed by them.

Introducing… is a sharp R&B / soul record, produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys no less, and Frazer’s first solo record. He’s one of The Indications, as in Durand Jones and The Indications, and is known for his falsetto voice, drum chops, and all-around love of soul, love songs, and grooves.

Opening track, “You Don’t Wanna Be My Baby,” with its horn section back-up and lead bass, let you know right away that you’re in for a treat. Frazer’s voice comes out of your speakers like warm maple syrup. “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It),” inspired by a Teamsters slogan, has a groove you can’t escape – nor do you want to do so.

Fuzzy guitars join the party on “Can’t Leave It Alone” as Frazer delivers a verbal smackdown on his lover for treating him bad, yet he knows he can’t walk away from a hot thing. “Bad News” would make Marvin Gaye proud with its bad-ass 1970s groove, jazz flute, and Frazer’s assured vocals that sound so natural that you think he could just roll out of bed and put down a track like it anytime he wants.

Frazer’s gospel influences are evident on “Have Mercy” – in the title, the backing voices, and Frazer’s pleading to a lover to go easy on him because he’s fallen so hard he might shatter. He’s “Done Lyin'” on the next track, however. The groove on this cut is so good that you’re moving and swaying like you’re one of his backup singers within seconds.

“Lover Girl” is classic soul that sounds like it was found in a Detroit basement near the Motown Studios’ original property. Frazer encourages his lover to take a love journey on “Ride with Me.” He just wants to her take the leap of faith and head off into a groovy sunset with him. Who doesn’t want that?

Big and bold piano and horns start “Girl on the Phone,” then the piano turns downright funky as Frazer sings, “Wish I had someone to love me like this girl I just heard on the phone.” It’s a tale of him overhearing a conversation on a party line (Remember those?) and falling for her just from the sound of the voice, and being envious of the lover to whom she was speaking. Frazer tries to answer a question people have been asking since, well, there have been people on “Love Is.” It’s “what you make it,” according to Frazer, or “anything you make it.” I know I’m in love with the bass groove on the track because it could seduce the coldest of hearts.

The drums on “Over You” (the album’s first single) are as hot as popping popcorn and Frazer’s vocals bounce off the back of the club wall and practically shove you out of your chair to the dance floor. The album ends with “Leanin’ on Your Everlasting Love,” with Frazer and his band laughing as the song begins and sweet organ chords taking us by the hand for another gospel-inspired love song. It’s a lovely send-off.

And it’s a lovely record that I’m sure will be high on my “Best of 2021” list. There isn’t a bad track on it, and Frazer knocks his debut out of the park.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Aaron Frazer’s debut single for Dead Oceans is a soulful stunner.

Aaron Frazer, the co-lead vocalist and drummer of Durand Jones & The Indications, debuts a new single/video, “Bad News,” via Dead Oceans / Easy Eye Sound. The Brooklyn-based, Baltimore-raised songwriter – who previously released music as The Flying Stars of Brooklyn, NY – possesses a unique voice that’s both contemporary and timeless, which conveys a wide emotional palate and progressive worldview in the tradition of musical masterminds like Curtis Mayfield.

Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, “Bad News,” is a song with a message in the key of Gil Scott-Heron. Recorded in Nashville with a crew of legendary session players — including members of the Memphis Boys (who played on Dusty Springfield’s “Son of A Preacher Man” and Aretha Franklin’s “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman”), symphony percussionist Sam Bacco, and several members of the Daptone/Big Crown Records universe, Frazer shows maturation and range with his new single, melding 70s soul with Auerbach’s particular sensibilities. “Aaron is just so incredibly gifted; to be so good at drums and sing like that at the same time. It just hit so hard,” says Auerbach, who reached out to Aaron immediately after hearing The Indications’ standout, “Is It Any Wonder.” “I love falsetto singing – there’s something so vulnerable about it,” Auerbach recalls.

A soul-jazz rumination on the tumultuous state of the earth, “Bad News” reflects on the ways we choose to tune out in the face of crises like homelessness and climate change. “I wrote ‘Bad News’ last November, originally as a song about climate change – a threat that feels so big, so existential, that sometimes it’s easier for us to just look away,” says Frazer. “But today, I think it’s taken on a new meaning. It’s become a song that gives voice to the things everybody is experiencing right now: isolation, and figuring out how to get through our daily life in the face of relentless bad news.”

The accompanying video for “Bad News”, directed by Julia Barrett-Mitchell, features Frazer and dancer Nicole Javanna Johnson, who physically interprets the song’s sound, her movements compelling and unyielding as she dances throughout Red Hook, Brooklyn.

“I had this concept for the Bad News video in my head for a while,” explains Frazer. “Dance has long been a way for people to express feelings that go unheard elsewhere. When I brought on my friend, director Julia Barrett Mitchell, she immediately understood the vibe and connected me to her longtime friend and former classmate, racial justice activist Nicole Johnson. I wanted to give Nicole, who is also a musician and educator, as much space as possible to interpret the song how she felt it. Nicole’s movements rise in intensity over the course of the video to express the rising urgency of the moment.”

Watch Video for Aaron Frazer’s “Bad News”

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]