NIGHT MOVES

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Today, Aaron Lee Tasjan announced his genre-bending new album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!, will be released on Feb 5 2021 on New West Records. His self-titled fourth album is a masterclass in interstellar pop, vintage glam, 90s Anglophilia and psychedelic rock & roll. With a bold reimagination of classic sounds and songwriting, rising star Tasjan is set to establish himself as one of the most idiosyncratic artists of his generation.

His debut song “Up All Night”, also released today, is equal parts alternative pop and glam rock stomp. Epic synths and four to the floor beats soundtrack Tasjan’s irreverent lyrics that reflect on lost hedonistic evenings, sexuality and mental health. Discussing the song, Tasjan stated, “Up All Night’ is half party anthem, half cautionary tale. It’s inspired by the times I’ve wondered if I need to get help with my drinking and what it meant that I was worrying about things in the first place?

STREAM ‘UP ALL NIGHT’ HERE

Tasjan added, “The three things that worry me most in my life are probably my health, being alone and money. Each of those three daily battles became a verse in this song. The first verse explores my financial plan for the foreseeable future, my real-life love life plays out a bit in the second, while the third verse is an homage to the years-long stomach problems I’ve tried to get diagnosed that everyone says is anxiety. I lost track of a handsome gentleman/brilliant drag performer from South Carolina not long after our first date at The Lipstick Lounge. Shortly after, I moved into a new house occupied by my current partner. We lived as roommates for a few months, but ultimately it became romantic and she’s become my hero and best friend in the world. For me, this song says that there’s no escaping being alive. Worrying is part of life just like having a good time or even too good of a time.”

The accompanying video, directed by Curtis Wayne Millard, features Tasjan on an intergalactic nocturnal space car adventure. The video premiered today with Rolling Stone, who stated, “Aaron Lee Tasjan offers a personal glimpse behind the glitter on his new song “Up All Night,” a succinct slice of ELO glam-pop that finds the enigmatic Nashville songwriter opening up about his anxieties and sexuality.” Rolling Stone added, Tasjan “sings over ringing guitar chords and distorted synth that call to mind the best of Jeff Lynne. The song is an immersive listening experience, with Tasjan giddily guiding you on a journey through musical genres and his own vices.”

WATCH ‘UP ALL NIGHT’ VIDEO HERE

Tasjan may sing with his tongue in his cheek, but ‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’ is an album with something to say. His autobiographical lyrics reflect on self-acceptance and offer a unique self-deprecating critique on the millennial generation’s simultaneous capacity for great empathy, judgement and narcissism. The album is dedicated to the alternative kids who also felt “other” growing up. Discussing his experiences, Tasjan shared, “No one likes to feel singled out. I’ve encountered this feeling many times in my life, including being in line at a drive-thru window in a small town in Ohio and experienced homophobic verbal abuse and harassment after I parked to eat. Be kind to each other, friends, and when our world is back to normal, come meet me at my favourite bar.”

Tasjan has been on a shapeshifting musical journey his whole life. From his glam rock roots, when Jimmy Iovine told him “guys in make-up don’t sell records” and when Lady Gaga would open for his band in NYC, to his legend-hopping guitar sideman days, Tasjan has traveled the globe, collecting road war tales from doing mushrooms with Bono in Ireland to bowling with Yoko Ono.

His search for a musical locus and geographic wanderings began in his early teens. His travels took him from Delaware to California to New York and to his current home in Nashville. He moved there in 2015 to play guitar in a band that imploded on his arrival. Through dumb luck he quickly landed a record deal with New West Records and became an established musical entity, releasing a diverse succession of critically acclaimed albums that drew the attention of everyone from NPR Music to Rolling Stone.

Despite this success, seeds of doubt started to bloom. After multiple musical incarnations, Tasjan questioned his direction and where he should go next. He toured through 2019 and then, sparked by the fond memory of an LSD-laced songwriting session when he felt at his most accomplished and free, he hid from his label and covertly crafted ‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’ With co-producer Gregory Lattimer, he recorded the album in secret at Make Sound Good Studios.

There was no need for doubt. With humour, wit and irony, ‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’s personal and hopeful vision was a coded message to himself and showed him self-belief was all he needed. Tasjan’s determined pursuit of a singular sound has led him to a sense of musical realisation and his most compelling album to date.

Tasjan will broadcast the final performance of his “Live And Well from East Nashville” with Noon Chorus tonight at 7pm local time from Siren Song Studio, details available here: https://noonchorus.com/aaron-lee-tasjan/

‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’ will be available across all digital platforms as well as on CD and standard black vinyl. A limited, 300 three-colour “twister” vinyl edition will be available exclusively via ‘Vinyl Me, Please’ while a limited, four-colour-splatter vinyl edition will be available at independent retailers and for pre-order NOW via New West Records.

TRACKS

1. Sunday Women

2. Computer of Love

3. Up All Night

4. Another Lonely Day

5. Don’t Overthink It

6. Cartoon Music

7. Feminine Walk

8. Dada Bois

9. Now You Know

10. Not That Bad

11. Got What I Wanted

Produced by Aaron Lee Tasjan and Gregory Lattimer

Recorded by Gregory Lattimer (Nashville, TN)

Mixed by Jon Congelton (Los Angeles, CA)

Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC

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