Durand Jones & The Indications will release their sophomore album, American Love Call, on March 1st via Dead
Oceans/Colemine Records. After sharing lead single, ‘Don’t You Know’, the band returns with the follow-up cut:
the poignant, politically charged album opener, ‘Morning In America’. “It’s a fraught moment in our history.
‘Morning in America’ is a song for this moment,” says the band.
It’s accompanying video, directed by Ellie Foumbi, find’s immense inspiration in the song’s message. “It’s
impossible to hear this song and not connect its message to the current political climate in America,” says Foumbi.
“It makes you stop and question the ways in which our country has changed and whether we’re as far along as we
should be. The themes of inequality, social and economic oppression, and the disparity between the haves and the
have-nots jumped out at me. The juxtaposition between past and present, rich and poor, black and white are so
prevalent in our society that it only felt right to highlight them in the video.”
Watch Video For ‘Morning In America’ below!
Penned by drummer Aaron Frazer, the band has this to say regarding the track:
The lyrics speak to how many of us feel every day in this time of political and environmental uncertainty— flicking
between anger, despair, anxiety but ever returning to a sliver of hope that there’s still a path forward.
We so often divide ourselves by our differences. Acknowledging those differences is crucial; listening to those
different from us is crucial. But viewed solely through that lens, we are fragmented and few. When we look at the
country along economic lines, however, a different picture emerges. Suddenly people of all colours, in every part of
this country, can find themselves on the same side, united by a shared struggle to simply survive in the richest
nation to ever exist.
This song was inspired by The Poor People’s Campaign, a movement started by Martin Luther King Jr. shortly before his assassination. It functions today as a nonpartisan organisation that promotes intersectionality and inter-
movement unity as a tool of addressing systemic injustices.
Helmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer, The Indications’ sound of “old-school soul with a new-school
honesty” (NPR’s All Things Considered) is rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitarist), Kyle Houpt (bassist), and Steve
Okonski (keyboard).
“Is it any wonder that y’all about to blow up!” – Robin Roberts, Good Morning America
“…I can attest that witnessing Jones live is very much akin to how I imagine the early shows of his heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s – Night as hell, bursting with raw emotion and drenched in sweat.” – Variety
“Durand Jones & The Indications bathe in the glimmering afterglow of early ’70s soul on this stunning track, with occasional nods to heartland folk.” — Bandcamp, on “Don’t You Know”
“From the start, the band’s laid-back, early-’70s groove, when paired with the two impossibly smooth vocalists at
the forefront of the project, allowed Jones & The Indications to reach an almost nostalgic, ridiculous level of cool.”— Paste
Durand Jones & The Indications: Website – Twitter – Facebook – Instagram – Spotify – Dead Oceans – Colemine Records
