NNAMDÏ, the multi-instrumentalist songwriter, has a new album on the way, Please Have A Seat, out October 7th via Secretly Canadian and his own label Sooper Records. Here is his next offering from it, ‘Anti,’ a track in which the Chicago stalwart sings and raps over an eerily calming arrangement and dives deep into anxiety and trauma. The accompanying Austin Vesley-directed video sees NNAMDÏ personify his own experience with these issues. NNAMDÏ notes: “I really like teetering on the edge of playful and unsettling and I think we did that with this video. The song/video is a journey through how generational and childhood trauma can manifest itself in different ways as an adult, especially if never confronted. Basically the things that help create your origin story. I’ve had this video idea since the song’s conception and Austin really brought my treatment to life.”
“What excited me about adapting a treatment written by Nnamdi was that it had so many of the elements that make his music great — playfulness and surprise, some darkness and contrasts, depth in a short time frame — and also that it was clearly coming from a very personal place for him. Taking a trip through his mind is a thrill, and I’m pleased we were able to draw out this broader aspect of Nnamdi’s relationship to the song and share that. On a technical level I’m so proud of the crew and cast of this thing for making it all happen in a single day. From sunny backyards to darkened, dilapidated hallways, everyone was on this wild ride that day and did such an amazing job keeping the narrative together and maintaining the beauty of the images.”
Watch the previously released video for ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Famous.’
The result of a much-needed pause, which lead to a creative and emotional reset, Please Have A Seat is NNAMDÏ’s most immediate and accessible effort to date. It stretches the limits of his pop songwriting and serves as a request to sit down, be present, and take in a moment. Each of the album’s 14 songs, which NNAMDÏ wrote, produced, and performed entirely himself, are relentlessly re-playable, careening into unexpected and disorienting places. Shoved up against these potent doses of pop bliss are math-rock freak-outs, arena-rock lead guitars, breakneck-paced rap flows, and feverish synth arrangements. It’s a visionary statement and another leap from Chicago’s hardest-working musician.
Please Have A Seat album pre-order here
Please Have A Seat Track Listing
Ready To Run
Armoire
Dibs
Touchdown
Grounded
I Don’t Wanna Be Famous
ANXIOUS EATER
Anti
Dedication
Smart Ass
Benched
Careful
Lifted
Some Days
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