Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Frazer releases a his sophomore solo album, Into the Blue, out June 28th via Dead Oceans. Into The Blue was conceived out of heartbreak. Frazer moved cross-country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and embarked on a journey that’s reflected in the album’s themes of grief, loneliness, and searching for healing.
“Into The Blue really means heading into the unknown. That has been the last year of my life and I’m still in the blue,” Frazer explains. “But there are also songs here that celebrate love and the giddiness of a new relationship and all that. That’s part of a breakup to me, processing the whole thing, remembering the things that were right as much as the things that were wrong.”
Frazer wrote on every track and played several live instruments on the album. The title track, ‘Into The Blue’, is a haunting, resolute anthem, combining cinematic strings and tough-as-nails breakbeats as Frazer heads west. “Here I go, to a place where the broken heart knows,” he sings. “It’s all I can do. Back into the blue.” ‘Payback‘ is an explosive dance floor heater, featuring shimmering tambourines and driving bass lines. Northern soul drums meet snarling fuzz guitar, hurtling towards its epic conclusion.
The album features moments of towering arrangements, recalling David Axelrod and Ennio Merricone, balanced by rawness, incorporating iPhone recordings and one-take vocals. For Into the Blue, Frazer enlisted Grammy-winner Alex Goose as co-producer, known for his crate-digging samples and collaborations with hip-hop artists like Freddie Gibbs, Madlib and Brockhampton. Frazer also experimented with samples for the first time on a record, drawing from unexpected sources like 90s R&B group Hi-Five.
Though Into the Blue is born out of heartbreak, Frazer hopes it leaves listeners with a sense of optimism. “You know, you can still laugh on a day when you’re grieving,” he says, “there’s no peaks without valleys,” he says, but Into The Blue sees Aaron Frazer at new heights.
Aaron Frazer – Into The Blue [Official Video]
Stream / Download: https://aaron-
Aaron Frazer – Time Will Tell [Official Video]
Stream / Download: https://aaron-
Aaron Frazer – Dime (feat. Cancamusa) [Official Video]
Stream / Download: https://aaron-
Aaron Frazer – Payback [Official Video]
Stream / Download: https://aaron-
Praise for Into The Blue
“A heavy hearted stroll through several decades of soul” – Uncut Magazine
“Aaron Frazer has struck gold with Into The Blue, a multifaceted soul album that blurs the past, the present and the possibilities of the future” – Mojo Magazine (UK)
Into The Blue Tracklist
Thinking Of You
Into The Blue
Fly Away
Payback
Dime feat. Cancamusa
Perfect Strangers
Time Will Tell
Don’t Wanna Stay
Play On
Easy To Love
The Fool
