Leif Vollebekk’s “Transatlantic Flight” Exists At Nexus Of Rihanna, Leonard Cohen And Richard Linklater
New Video Out Today From New Ways Releasing November 1 On Secret City Records
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Leif Vollebekk has unveiled the second single from his forthcoming album New Ways (out November 1st via Secret City Records) with a music video for “Transatlantic Flight.” Leif also recently announced his biggest international tour ever, which begins in the U.K. in November supporting Half Moon Run.
Watch the video for “Transatlantic Flight” here: https://found.ee/8hsr
And premiered by Flood Magazine this morning:http://floodmagazine.com/67942/premiere-leif-vollebekk-is-deep-blue-on-transatlantic-flight/
“Transatlantic Flight” takes its time, and wraps itself around you. Leif found inspiration in a host of places - from sticky Rihanna choruses, the dark sizzle of Leonard Cohen, the visual mastery of Richard Linklater (he drops a couple references in the opening verse of the song). The song builds to a soaring euphoria, a wall of rich sounds and trembling strings as Leif pleads: “so why don’t you come on over / start talking to me / one thing I can tell you / you look good when you’re tired / on a Transatlantic flight.”
Released in June, first single "Hot Tears" was featured on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic Top 10 for a number of weeks and was recently featured as a KCRW Today's Top Tune. The song quickly reached over one million streams. The NY Times recently said that Leif’s songs are "pensive and restless, blossoming with stream-of-consciousness verses that bear the marks of long nights spent alone on the road."
Says Leif, about “Transatlantic Flight”:
I worked a bit on the record in Marin County and while I was there the cliffs by the ocean overlooked the bluest of blues. The same blue - no an even richer blue - than I see when I hear Transatlantic Flight. I told Kaveh (the video's director) that I wanted to sing the song there and get it on film.
The video is just one long take with the exception of one cut. I asked to have it like because I always liked how in [Richard Linklater's] Before Sunrise the takes are so long that your eyes have a chance to wander around and start seeing subtle things. You get lost in the moment. He lets time itself become a character in his films.
In the last sequence, while we were by the water, when I opened my eyes, I suddenly saw a pack of dogs with these neon collars, like the kind you’d see at a rave or dance party. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen - to see these neon-collared dogs with this epic sea as a backdrop, in the distance running towards me. Their owner, she was calling to them to come back but they were headed straight for me. I laughed so hard. She was so kind and yelled to me “I’m so sorry I hope they didn’t ruin your video!” We just left the whole thing in.- Leif Vollebekk
New Ways was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Studio Breakglass in Montreal, it features Olivier Fairfield (Timber Timbre) and Homer Steinweiss (The Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson) on drums, and additional vocal by Angie McMahon. It was mixed by Chris Allen in NYC (Yoko Ono, Fleet Foxes, Sigur Rós, Margaret Glaspy) and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound (David Byrne, The War On Drugs, Gregory Alan Isakov, Tame Impala, Father John Misty, Bob Dylan, Patrick Watson).
Twin Solitude was a breakthrough album for Leif, landing a spot on the Polaris Music Prize 2017 shortlist, a Juno nomination and is now at over 23 million streams. It was critically acclaimed by Uncut, NPR Music, The Fader, The Sunday Times Culture, The Line of Best Fit, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, WXPN, KCRW and Exclaim! to only name a few. During his career Leif has shared stages with Shakey Graves, Gregory Alan Isakov, Angie McMahon, Daniel Lanois, Patrick Watson, Natalia Lafourcade, Mandolin Orange, Beth Orton, Sinéad O’Connor and countless others. He sold-out much of his latest North-American headlining tour during the Twin Solitude campaign.
Pre-order and Pre-Save the album to your music library here.
Watch the Hot Tears video here.
Tour Dates
9/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
11/06 – Bristol, UK @ SWX *
11/07 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton *
11/08 – Glasgow, UK @ The Garage *
11/09 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz *
11/11 - De Kapel, Netherlands @ Muziekgebouw
11/12 – Groningen, Netherlands @ Lutherse Kerk
11/13 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
11/14 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
11/16 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall *
11/17 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle *
11/19 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg *
11/21 – Munich, DE @ Technikum *
11/22 – Vienna, AU @ Arena *
11/23 – Zurich, CH @ X-Tra *
11/24 – Stans, Switzerland @ Chäslager
11/26 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon *
11/27 – Brussels, BE @ AB *
11/29 – Montreal, QC @ Le National
12/1 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
12/2 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
12/3 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
12/4 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Listening Room
12/6 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
12/7 – Indianapolis, IN @ LoFi
12/8 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
12/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
12/11 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
12/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live Upstairs
12/14 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
1/17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Atrium
1/19 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
1/22 – Eugene, OR @ Wildcraft Cider Works
1/23 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
1/24 – Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theatre
1/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
* Supporting Half Moon Run