Dark post-punk act Fotocrime is back with the second chapter in their full-length narrative, with the phenomenal South of Heaven LP. an epic collection of guitar-driven rock which will be released this Friday.
Earlier this month, the Louisville Kentucky based project released the video for “Expulsion From Paradise”, a meditation on derailed destinies directed and edited by Jakub Moth.
Watch below:
Today the Fotocrime has also presented the album South of Heaven in full for your listening pleasure, but in the meantime, here are a few words from R. on the many collaborators that contributed across the album’s 10 brooding tracks about heartbreak, compulsion, illusions of masculinity, and more.
SOUTH OF HEAVEN Guests Part 1:
“While I primarily write and perform Fotocrime material on my own (along with trusty drum machine, MOTHER), I was honored to be joined by nine wonderful guests on this album.
SHELLEY ANDERSON played bass and sang on “Up Above The World.” Shelley was Fotocrime’s bass player for the first two years of the band, appearing live and on multiple recordings. She is a consummate musician, one of the most in-demand players in Louisville, and an incredible mastering engineer who also mastered South Of Heaven. She’s a truly important part of Fotocrime for me and I’m very happy she was able to join me on this song.
JANET MORGAN sang on four songs. Janet is a phenomenal, heavenly-voiced singer who hails from Britain and now resides in Baltimore. Janet’s beautiful voice has graced more Fotocrime songs than any other aside from my own and her contributions are often highlights for me. She is also the bass player/singer in Channels and a truly kind, open and supportive friend.
ELINOR LÜDDE played harp and sang on “Hold Me In The Night.” For this apocalyptic love song, where I felt particularly exposed, I reached out to Eli who is a truly inspiring multi-instrumentalist who performs as CORECASS. Eli and I had an immediate kinship upon meeting in Hamburg a few years ago and the beauty and tension she brought to this song meant so much to me.
SOUTH OF HEAVEN Guests Pt.2:
J. ROBBINS co-produced, mixed, and primarily recorded South Of Heaven, and also contributed bits of vocals, guitar, keys, and percussion. I believe this is the fifth full length album we’ve done together over the past twenty years, along with countless other releases. J. was one of my heroes growing up and has become one of a small group of major musical collaborators of my life, as well as a true friend. His recording, ideas, and production always elevate my songs beyond what I could do on my own. I have a hard time imagining making albums without his involvement.
ROB MORAN played bass on “Love Is The Devil.” Rob is one of the kindest and most sincere people I’ve ever known, the moment we met I felt as if we’d been friends our entire lives. He’s a San Diego punk icon known for his bands Unbroken, Some Girls, Narrows, and others, as well as a font of knowledge about music. It was an honor to have him play bass on this song as I’ve been a fan of his for over half my life. Plus he has the coolest leather jacket with hand-painted Damned artwork ever.
JODIE COX played guitar on “Hold Me In The Night.” Jodie has been a fixture in London since the first time I was there many years ago, always arriving with a big, welcoming smile. A truly consistent and dependable gentleman. He’s an accomplished guitar player who has played in Sex Swing, Markers, Earth, and Narrows, among others. When I ended up recording in London, I had to have Jodie involved. He plucked a perfectly mournful Morricone/Badalmenti guitar line in no time, cementing the pleading sorrow of the song.
Listen to South of Heaven below:
South of Heaven will be released via Profound Lore tomorrow, Friday the 13th, and in promotion of the record, Fotocrime has embarked on a worldwide tour (follow the band on social media for updates on scheduling).
FOTOCRIME – ON TOUR:
- March 13 San Diego CA | Whistle Stop
- March 14 Los Angeles CA | 5 Star Bar *
- March 15 Oakland CA | Elbo Room JL *
- March 27 Louisville KY | Zanzabar +
- March 28 Birmingham AL | Firehouse +
- March 29 Atlanta GA | 529 +=
- March 30 Raleigh NC | Slim’s +
- March 31 Richmond VA | Fallout +
- April 01 Baltimore MD | Metro Gallery +
- April 02 Brooklyn NY | Gold Sounds +
- April 03 Manhattan NY | Mercury Lounge +
- April 04 Boston MA | O’Brien’s +
- April 05 Quebec City QC | L’Anti +
- April 06 Montreal QC | Casa Del Popolo +
- April 07 Ottawa ON | Dominion +
- April 08 Toronto ON | Bovine Sex Club +
- April 10 Ann Arbor MI | Lo-Fi Bar +
- April 11 Chicago IL | Subterranean Downstairs +%
- May 06 Szeged HU | Grand Café ~
- May 07 Cluj-Napoca RO | Form Space ~
- May 08 Budapest HU | Robot ~
- May 09 Bratislava SK | Kulturák ~
- May 10 Brno CZ | Kabinet Muz ~
- May 11 Warsaw PL | Chmury ~
- May 12 Gdanks PL | Drizzly Grizzly ~
- May 13 Dresden DE | Scheune ~
- May 14 Bochum DE | Die Trompete ~
- May 15 Darmstadt DE | Oettinger Villa ~
- May 16 Lohr am Main DE | Stadthalle Lohr – Umsonst & Drinnen Festival ~
- May 18 Koln DE | Bumann & Sohn ~
- May 19 Liege BE | Kultura ~
- May 20 London UK | The Black Heart ~
- May 21 Paris FR | Espace B ~
- May 22 Winterthur CH | Gaswerk ~
- May 23 Rorschach CH | Treppenhaus ~
- May 24 Tabor CZ | Stanek ~
- May 25 Slavonice CZ | The Barakos ~
- May 26 Vienna AT | Venster 99 ~
- May 27 Mannheim DE | Forum ~
- May 28 Siegen DE | VEB ~
- May 29 Berlin DE | Kastanienkeller ~
- May 30 Hamburg DE | TBA ~
- May 31 Prague CZ | 007 Strahov ~
- * w/ Primary
- + w/ Fool’s Ghost
- = w/ Null
- % w/ Sweet Cobra
- ~ w/ Bleakness
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