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OUT VIA THIRTY TIGERS |
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SHARE “HELLRAISER” LYRIC VIDEO |
Illiterate Light – the duo of singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran – are pleased to share their stunning new album, Sunburned, out now via Thirty Tigers. Today, the band are also sharing the brilliant lyric video for album standout, “Hellraiser,” directed by Cochran. Previously released singles include “Fuck LA,” “Feb 1st,” “Heaven Bends” and “Light Me Up.” Tonight, the band will be performing an Album Release Show at The Jefferson in Charlottesville, VA, and next week, on February 1st, the band will perform in Nashville, TN at The Basement. Additional tour dates below.
Speaking on the song, Gorman had this to say: “‘Hellraiser’ is not an autobiographical song. Much of our new record is autobiographical and emotionally intimate, but Hellraiser is a different beast. It came about while I was conducting a series of psychological experiments on myself after reading a chapter of the Red Book by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. The song is a voodoo gumbo of my own subconscious grappling with uninitiated masculinity, pain vs pleasure, and a childhood love of horror films. I wrote the form and lyrics, Jake played keys and drums, and we embraced the studio in a new way, rejecting previous limitations we’d put on ourselves.”
For his part, Cochran spoke on the video he directed: “I decided to shape the imagery and emotion of the lyrics into a haunting story of regret. Pulling from the horror roots of the song title, it is a tense look into a failing relationship from a creepy, voyeuristic perspective. From the shadows, the main character haunts his past self, peeking through windows and reliving the meaningless victory that ruined his life.”
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With Sunburned, Gorman and Cochran have turned their attention inward to their songwriting and studio craft, creating their most fully-realized and ambitious work yet – one that’s full of immediate songs that update and revolutionize the band’s approach to making music. There are rich keyboard and programmed percussion textures now populating their songs, as well as soaring anthemic choruses, slathered with hefty doses of fuzz. “On our first record, we were very live-focused and wanted to make sure whatever we were writing was translated in person,” says Gorman. “Without that crutch, we could be more adventurous and take more risks. We definitely weren’t timid in the studio.” |
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Though their 2019 self-titled debut garnered rave praise from the Washington Post, Spin, and NPR as well as led to tours with The Head And The Heart, Shakey Graves, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Sunburned is a document of a band pushing themselves to new heights. With the success of their debut, Gorman and Cochran decided to double down on their bond and their commitment to the band. “We built our own studios, decided to release the album ourselves, and leaned into being multi-instrumentalists while recording,” says Gorman. Between Cochran’s studio at his Tennessee home and Montrose Recordings in Richmond, VA with longtime collaborator and producer Adrian Olsen, they started fleshing out the earliest versions of the songs in intense writing sessions. |
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As their writing started, Gorman’s father died after a years-long battle with multiple system atrophy (MSA). While his grief was devastating and palpable, it also gave him clarity and newfound motivation. “These songs aren’t about my dad dying but there’s been such a shift in my own life that my own writing took on a certain fearlessness,” says Gorman. “I saw the thin veil between life and death and I realized there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. I wanted to embrace the things I love and the weird things that’ll come to us in life. My grief found its way into the record, sonically and emotionally, but not topically.” |
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Sunburned is an album for searchers, the people who channel the darkest energy into something healing and positive. “This record was all about chasing a gut feeling and going for songs that had more depth and darkness and pain,” says Gorman. “We’d rather share what we’re really going through and let that come out.” |
Sunburned Track Listing:
1.) Wake Up Now
2.) Light Me Up
3.) Heaven Bends
4.) Feb 1st
5.) Hellraiser
6.) Closer
7.) Automatic
8.) Fuck LA
9.) Luckiest Man Alive
Tour Dates:
1/27/23 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson – Album Release Party
2/01/23 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
3/23/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s*
3/24/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s*
4/18/23 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer*
4/19/23 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon*
4/20/23 – Mosinee, WI @ Lamplight Sessions*
4/21/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry*
4/22/23 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall*
4/25/23 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge*
4/26/23 – Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall*
4/27/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Encore*
4/29/23 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre*
8/19/23 – Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival
* = supporting Mo Lowda & The Humble
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