Durand Jones & The Indications — the trio of Durand Jones, Aaron Frazer, and Blake Rhein — release their new album, Flowers, out today on Dead Oceans and share the video for album standout, ‘Really Wanna Be With You.’ Reflecting a strong sense of the band’s maturation and conviction, the 11 songs that make up Flowers are grown and sexy, fit for cruising, and delight in the softer side of soul and disco. “All of these songs touch on such mature topics, things that we never got to sing about before,” says Jones. “We are all in our 30s, have all been through ups and downs in our personal lives and professional lives, and flowers are a sign of maturity, growth, spring, productivity.” Frazer adds: “We took the spirit of play that started the project, and added in the wisdom and lessons we’ve acquired through the years.”
For Jones personally, Flowers is the result of significant personal transformation. “I had spent the last year and a half laying everything out that I felt insecure about — I felt insecure about my sexuality, growing up poor; about a myriad of things. I laid all of that out on the table and it made me such a stronger person, to the point that I got back to the Indications and I was way more sure of myself.” This maturation is on display on today’s single, ‘Really Wanna Be With You,’ a string-laden, private press disco-inspired track written about an ex Jones believed to be a soulmate. “I feel like I can tap into myself in more of a personal way than I could back with ‘American Love Call,’” Jones reflects. “I love how triumphant and glorious that arrangement sounds; you dance through the heartache, you dance through the pain, and you keep it moving.”
The song accompanying video was directed and edited by Alec Basse and features cinematography from Chris Owsiany.
For as far as Durand Jones & The Indications have come, Flowers grew from the desire to return to their roots in a Bloomington basement, a space where they first found camaraderie in gritty funk and Southern soul that would inspire their self-titled debut. Just as they did on that 2016 release, The Indications prioritized close-knit collaboration. Much of the self-produced album was written together at guitarist Blake Rhein‘s Chicago home studio, and many tracks are based on one-take demos.
“When I think of Flowers, I think of this sense of naturalness. There’s a lot of courage in showing the human side of making music,” says Rhein. “We spent the most energy playing to each other’s strengths and learning how to support each other. Being able to make art from an intuitive level takes a lot of confidence, not second guessing yourself, not asking if it’s going to be well received.”
Durand Jones & The Indications – Flower Moon (Official Video)
Durand Jones & The Indications – Been So Long (Official Video)
Durand Jones & The Indications – Lovers’ Holiday
Durand Jones & The Indications
Flowers
Tracklist
- Flowers
- Paradise
- Lovers’ Holiday
- I Need The Answer
- Flower Moon
- Really Wanna Be With You
- Been So Long
- Everything
- Rust and Steel
- If Not For Love
- Without You
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