COLD SPECKS REVEALS NEW SINGLE, “WANDERING IN THE WILD”

COLD SPECKS RETURNS WITH ANOTHER NEW SINGLE CO-WRITTEN WITH CHANTAL KREVIAZUK, “WANDERING IN THE WILD”, OUT TODAY VIA SECRET CITY RECORDS

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Singer, songwriter and producer Cold Specks (aka Al Spx) releases a new track, “Wandering in the Wild”, co-written with Chantal Kreviazuk. The stripped-back beauty of “Wandering in the Wild” is inspired by Spx’s months in the psychiatric ward (‘If we survive, can we smile and be not sorry anymore / If they decide we’re free, to run and scream / Will we jump for joy?’), and how she survived an incredibly difficult time preceding her bipolar diagnosis.

“Wandering in the Wild” - which follows “How It Feels”, the artist’s first music in seven years - was primarily written by Kreviazuk, following a long discussion with Al Spx about her experiences in the ward. Spx goes on to explain, “I used to be really precious about holding on to as much song writing as possible but then I remembered James Carr did not write ‘The Dark End of the Street’. Thank you, Chantal, for such a timeless piece of music.”

LISTEN / SHARE “WANDERING IN THE WILD” HERE
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The spellbinding ballad has an illuminating grace and sense of freedom, as the artist looks back on that time. Al Spx produced and performed the track, recorded by Graham Walsh (of Holy Fuck), and it features piano by Johnny Spence, strings by composer Owen Pallett and brass by long-time collaborator Terry Edwards.

Since she arrived in our lives with an unforgettable a capella performance on Later… with Jools Holland in 2011, Cold Specks has mixed crackling, pared-down guitar blues, gothic soul, gospel and warm electronics in three albums which won Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award nominations: 2012’s I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, 2014’s Neuroplasticity and 2017’s Fool’s Paradise. Her musical stretch is vast: Al Spx has worked with Swans, Massive Attack, Moby and performed at Joni Mitchell’s birthday concert.

LISTEN / SHARE “HOW IT FEELS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HOW IT FEELS” HERE

COLD SPECKS LIVE EVENT
November 30 - The Burdock, Toronto ON (An Evening with Cold Specks)

PRAISE FOR ‘HOW IT FEELS’

“’How It Feels’ is a matter-of-fact, raw and vulnerable reminder of how potent Cold Specks’s artistry is” – Dominionated

“Haunting and introspective” – Billboard

“… a bruised but unbowed piano ballad” – The Guardian Playlist

“…back with her first new music in seven years” – Brooklyn Vegan

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COLD SPECKS RETURNS WITH “HOW IT FEELS”, FIRST NEW RELEASE IN SEVEN YEARS

COLD SPECKS RETURNS WITH A NEW TRACK, “HOW IT FEELS”, HER FIRST RELEASE IN SEVEN YEARS, OUT TODAY VIA SECRET CITY RECORDS

LISTEN / SHARE “HOW IT FEELS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HOW IT FEELS” HERE

Photo Credit : Ted Belton // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, singer, songwriter, and producer Cold Specks (aka Al Spx) returns with a new track, “How It Feels”, her first release in seven years. “How It Feels” is a raw and intimate reminder of Al Spx’ powerful voice, and finds the artist assuredly looking back on a difficult period in her life, with a clarity that time often brings to events.

Written with Chantal Kreviazuk (Drake / Kendrick Lamar), Spx explains, “‘How It Feels’ was written in 2019 at a time when I was struggling with money. I was struggling with my mind as well, and I was reflecting on my experiences. It was written one magical night in the dead of winter in a studio around midnight. It came together quite easily and Chantal is a gem.”

LISTEN / SHARE “HOW IT FEELS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HOW IT FEELS” HERE

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The potent new track was written as she contemplated a difficult period in her mental health which resulted in some time in hospital before a bipolar diagnosis. The track was produced and performed by Al Spx, recorded by Graham Walsh (of Holy Fuck) and features piano by Johnny Spence, strings by composer Owen Pallett and brass by long-time collaborator Terry Edwards.

“How It Feels” is the first new music from Cold Specks since 2017’s Fool’s Paradise, and a confident reminder of her electrifying vocal, first glimpsed on an unforgettable a capella performance on Later… with Jools Holland in 2011. 

Since 2011, Cold Specks has mixed crackling, pared-down guitar blues, gothic soul, gospel, and warm electronics in three albums which received Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award nominations; I Predict A Graceful Expulsion (2012), Neuroplasticity (2014) and Fool’s Paradise. Spx has worked with Swans, Massive Attack, Moby and performed at Joni Mitchell’s birthday concert.

PREVIOUS PRAISE FOR COLD SPECKS

“Compelling and timeless” - The Observer

“(Cold Specks) at her rawest, most individual form yet -
and the result is stunning” - CBC Music

“Haunting and healing in equal measures” - The Guardian

“Striking a balance between sinister and comforting…
(her) voice is as strong as ever” - Exclaim!

“… peerless” – Pitchfork

“Haunting doom-laden soul” - Vogue

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COLD SPECKS CELEBRATES ALBUM RELEASE DAY WITH FIRST PLAY LIVE

WATCH COLD SPECKS PERFORM FOOL’S PARADISE VIA CBC’S FIRST PLAY LIVE

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN NOVEMBER 2

FOOL’S PARADISE OUT TODAY VIA ARTS & CRAFTS

“Ladan Hussein at her rawest, most individual form yet —
and the result is stunning” - CBC Music

“Beautifully soulful … the themes of war, dislocation, and the redemptive power of music have rarely been so prescient” - Clash

“the sound of an already-awe-inspiring singer fully coming out of her shell” - NOW Magazine

“extracts great depths of emotion time and again” - Under The Radar

“Striking a balance between sinister and comforting…
Hussein's voice is as strong as ever” - Exclaim!
 

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PHOTO CREDIT: Neva Wireko // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Out today via Arts & Crafts, Fool’s Paradise is Ladan Hussein’s most personal work yet, intimately exploring her identity as a Somali-Canadian woman. Known on stage as Cold Specks, CBC Music claims that “Fool's Paradise is a family-influenced affair, but above all it's Ladan Hussein at her rawest, most individual form yet — and the result is stunning.” NOW Magazine says Fool’s Paradise is “the sound of an already-awe-inspiring singer fully coming out of her shell.” Viewers can watch Hussein perform Fool’s Paradise via CBC’s First Play Live.

WATCH COLD SPECKS PERFORM FOOL’S PARADISE VIA CBC’S FIRST PLAY LIVE

Fool’s Paradise encapsulates the naturalness of existing during difficult times. Hussein recently learned about her family’s former life in Somalia. During the writing process, she dug deep into grainy VHS recordings found online of Somali musicians, songs and videos that had survived war. “My parents never talked much about life in Mogadishu growing up,” Hussein explains, “the war split up my family, scattered them around the world, left many missing, and those that made it were forever changed.” Sailing her way to shore after grueling trial, error, and musical acclaim - Fool’s Paradise is the sound of finding home, identity, and self-love.

This fall, Cold Specks will set off an extensive World Tour with recently announced North American dates beginning on November 2 including throughout Canada. Full dates can be found below.

In 2015, Hussein followed her critically acclaimed debut LP, I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, with the release of Neuroplasticity, both of which were nominated for the Polaris Music Prize with the former also earning a JUNO Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist Of The Year. Between albums, when Cold Specks wasn’t writing or touring, Hussein was pinballing between asks from an enviable roll call of collaborators. She was asked to work on Moby’s album Innocents and was invited to play with Joni Mitchell at the singer’s 70th birthday alongside the likes of Herbie Hancock. She contributed to Ambrose Akinmusire's 2014 record for Blue Note and Swans’ 2014 album To Be Kind. These last two partnerships left a significant impression on Neuroplasticity resulting in the indomitable Swans founder Michael Gira and Akinmusire to both appear on the album. Most recently, she has worked with Massive Attack on the track “Dead Editors” featuring Roots Manuva from their 2016 Ritual Spirit EP.

MORE PRAISE FOR FOOL’S PARADISE

“I’ll be there for you/Don’t know why”: this is the refrain of “Wild Card,” the new Cold Specks single, and it sounds like an exhale of self-doubt — sometimes a giver just gives, whether or not the recipient is deserving.” - The New York Times

“[Fool’s Paradise] is a slow burn of a track, Hussein’s voice flitting over a syncopated rhythm that ebbs and flows with the song.” - W Magazine

“sad and mournful, but in the most beautiful, soulful ways. In this moment, I cannot think of another song to which I would rather shed a single therapeutic tear.” - Indie Shuffle

“Despite the heavy topic, there’s a hope and
lightness to [Wild Card]… ” - Consequence of Sound

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FOOL’S PARADISE TRACKLISTING
1 Fool's Paradise
2 Wild Card
3 Solid
4 Ancient Habits
5 Rupture
6 Void
7 New Moon
8 Two Worlds
9 Witness
10 Exile
 

FOOL’S PARADISE WORLD TOUR 2017

European Dates
9/30: Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny (TICKETS)
10/1: Leeds, UK @ Lending Room (TICKETS)
10/02: Glasgow, UK @ King Tut's (TICKETS)
10/03: Manchester, UK @ Night & Day (TICKETS)
10/04: Bristol, UK @ Cube (TICKETS)
10/05: London, UK @ Omeara (TICKETS)
10/06: Paris, FR @ Supersonic (FRE)
10/07: Brussels, BL @ Witloof Bar  (TICKETS)
10/09: Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet (TICKETS)
10/10: Cologne, DE @ Yuca (TICKETS)
10/11: Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher (TICKETS)
10/12: Aarhus, DK (TICKETS)
10/13: Copenhagen, DK @ Vega (TICKETS)
10/14: Berlin, DE @ Musik & Frieden (TICKETS)
10/15: Frankfurt, DE @ Brotfabrik (TICKETS)
10/16: Munich, DE @ Milla (TICKETS)
10/18: Vienna, AT @ Arena (TICKETS)
10/19: Zurich, CH @ Theatre Gessneralle @ Stall 6 (TICKETS)
10/20: Geneva, CH @ La Graviere (TICKETS)
10/21: Rome, IT @ Quirinetta (TICKETS)

North American Dates
11/2: Somerville, MA @ ONCE Somerville
11/3: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11/4: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
11/5: Richmond, VA @ Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
11/7: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade Purgatory
11/8: Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
11/9: St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
11/10: Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
11/11: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
11/13: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
11/15: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
11/16: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
11/17: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
11/18: Seattle, WA @ Barboza
11/20: Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
11/22: Calgary, CA @ Commonwealth Bar & Stage
11/23: Edmonton, CA @ The Needle Vinyl Tavern
11/24: Regina, CA @ The Exchange
11/25: Winnipeg, CA @ The Good Will Social Club
11/27: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
11/28: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
11/29: Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
11/30: Toronto, CA @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club
12/1: Montreal, CA @ Phi Center
12/6: Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Art Space
12/7: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right

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