8 June, 2020Print
Blanco White’s On The Other Side Debuts In Top UK + US Charts
“Close your eyes and these are songs that can transport you anywhere. Open them and don’t be surprised if your surroundings suddenly look a little surreal” - American Songwriter
"On the Other Side leaves a singular and lasting impression"
- No Depression
"It’s Blanco White’s voice that will grab and hold your attention" -WNYC New Sounds
Blanco White’s debut album On The Other Side has been met with tremendous global support. Building off of the 120 million streams for his previous 3 EPs, Blanco’s new album is currently featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday in the US, UK, France, South Africa and Turkey plus key playlists like Fresh Folk and a world wide mobile homepage banner. On iTunes’ Singer-Songwriter charts, the album hit #2 in the UK and Top 10 in the US. Praise from leading publications in Spain, Italy, France echo reviews in the UK, including the Sunday Times and the Independent, and the US including American Songwriter and No Depression.
To mark the release, Blanco White - the guise of British guitarist, singer and songwriter Josh Edwards - and his visual collaborator Javier Lara have created a visual version of the album. Watch the series of corresponding videos HERE.
Blanco and Javier had to collaborate remotely due to the pandemic, in which Javier could only leave his dwelling in Spain to film with a government work permit. His travels during lockdown brought him as far as the desert at the southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula – where he filmed “I Belong To You.”
Speaking about the album visuals, Josh says: ““there’s a feeling of being able to transport yourself to somewhere more mysterious and surreal. Those are the sort of feelings I’m often searching for when writing, where the music helps construct a visual space that I can then explore. Javier Lara has directed the videos for this album and he definitely leaves his own mark on the music."
It was a trip to Latin America as a kid that kick-started his obsession with all things Spanish, music in particular. “When I was 10, my dad quit his job, my mum put hers on hold and they took me and my two younger sisters around Latin America,” recalls Josh, who was raised between west London and the Black Mountains in south Wales. “We missed school and went to Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru. It was a life changing trip and I came home desperate to speak Spanish and Latin America remained this romantic, amazing place in my mind.”
At university Josh threw himself in to studying Spanish. He later travelled south to Andalucía and was lucky enough to study with flamenco guitarist Nono Garcia whilst in Cadiz, the cradle of flamenco guitar music. He later headed to Bolivia, where he immersed himself in Andean music, learning to play charango (a small, 10-stringed, bowl- shaped guitar), first in La Paz, then in Sucre where he found a teacher at a local music school.
Enter Blanco White’s bewitching world and you won’t want to leave. Sensual songs unfurl like spells, time seems to stand still. Close your eyes and you could be dreaming. Magic, you’d swear, was at work.
GLOBAL PRAISE FOR ON THE OTHER SIDE
“Close your eyes and these are songs that can transport you anywhere. Open them and don’t be surprised if your surroundings suddenly look a little surreal” - American Songwriter
"On the Other Side leaves a singular and lasting impression" - No Depression
"Haunting vocals float over muscular rhythms" - Sunday Times Culture (UK)
"The album as a whole, in a contemplative manner, without being static, brings the listener towards a tranquil enchantment" - Le Monde (France)
"In his lyrics he melds romance and striking imagery of the elements, singing gorgeous narratives" - The Independent
“A dexterous, poignant, and softly addictive return, one that underlines the real strengths to his musicality” - Clash