Cal in Red has released a new single, “Kitchen featuring James Mercer of The Shins.” The song is taken from Cal in Red's upcoming debut album. Low Lowwill be released on August 30th via B3SCI Records. Mercer originally discovered the Grand Rapids, Michigan, duo when they were in their previous band Mertle, winning The Shins' 2017 Van Contest with their cover of “Painting a Hole.” Mercer's harmonies, a longtime inspiration for the brothers, enhance the song's raw emotion. “We call 'Kitchen' a 'country song,'” Kendall Wright explains. “Sonically, it's a shift from everything we've done as a band up until now. It's essentially a breakup song, but one that witnesses it from outside the ruins. Having lived with two friends in love and watched it fall apart, this song was a no-brainer.”
One of my favorite breakup songs is “Gone for Good” by The Shins, another song with a nice country vibe. I've always loved James Mercer's ability to make something so unique and heartfelt in its voice, yet relatable and accessible. We finally took the plunge and asked James to lend his vocals to the song, and to our surprise he said yes. Everything he added was amazing. His ability to give a song exactly what it needed is very special.”
Mercer added: “I've loved watching Cal in Red grow over the last few years, so after hearing 'Kitchen' and the record, it was a pleasure to collaborate!”
“Kitchen Ft. James Mercer” follows the album's blissful lead single, “She Won't Say,” as well as the album's other tracks, “Boyfriend,” “Zebra” and “Habits.” Having wrapped up a headline US tour in June, Cal in Red will next play The Eastern in Detroit on August 2nd, previewing the new LP.
Though their music has an enviable ease, Low Low was a careful four-year creative process in the making. “We gave in to musical impulses in ways we never would have done before,” says Kendall. The resulting 10-track LP draws on bits of '90s indie rock, takes a brief detour into the '80s, and even explores twang. And yet they never lose their way. At their core, these are melodic tidbits filtered through a dreamlike glow.
Live, Kendall plays guitar and Conor plays bass and synths. But at home, they both write the tracks, with Kendall handling most of the lyrics and vocals. Conor, who produces the tracks, sings about a third of them. The brothers have been making music together for eight years, first as Mertle and for the last five as Cal in Red (they had never played together until a cousin asked them to join Mertle, when Conor was still in high school). This intangible bond is their superpower. “Communicating with my brother is totally different than communicating with anyone else,” Conor adds appreciatively. After all, “we have a similar perspective, a similar end goal.” They share the same inspirations: Porches, Tame Impala, Husbands, The Strokes, MGMT, French Cassettes, to name just a few. “We fall in love with songs and artists, and we want other people to fall in love with them too,” he says of his talent for crafting catchy, fun melodies. “That definitely shows up in our songwriting. If we're going to write a song, we want it to be the best song we can.”
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