August 26, 2022 - Thee Sacred Souls have released their self-titled debut album today via Daptone Records. The album explores the ageless themes of love and loss with warm and textured vocals from lead singer Josh Lane that mix the easygoing grace of sweet ‘60’s soul with the grit and groove of early ’70’s R&B, all with a distinctly modern sound. The album was announced in June and has been celebrated and spotlighted by NPR Music, Grammy.com, No Depression, KCRW, Mojo, and Uncut, which deemed the band "Daptone's new hope.”
Thee Sacred Souls previously released “Easier Said Than Done” with the album announcement in June and “Overflowing” in July which draws on both classic Chicano soul and Jamaican rocksteady music in its pledges of devotion. “Lady Love” was released in mid-August and explores the theme of second chances in love.
The album was recorded with Daptone co-founder Gabe Roth at his Riverside, CA studio. Roth attended Thee Sacred Souls’ very first club performance in 2019; the tape was rolling just three days later. The ensemble was formed by drummer/songwriter Alex Garcia and bassist/songwriter Sal Samano who bonded over their similar experiences growing up in southern California. They found inspiration in the lowrider scene of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, and a growing collection of crate dug records. Singer Josh Lane brought his love for soul titans like Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson to the fold, with show-stopping vocals that he honed while studying classical voice in college, singing arias and Italian opera. Together, the trio weaves together hints of Chicano, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, and even Panama soul into something that’s both timeless and distinctly modern.
The accolades speak for themselves: co-signs ranging from Alicia Keys, Princess Nokia, Black Pumas, Timbaland, Gary Clark, Jr. and sampled by Curren$y, standing ovations and encore demands from the Beacon in NYC to the Greek in LA, and sold-out headlining shows with little advance promotion. The band has 50 million streams globally for just a handful of singles released,early single “Can I Call You Rose” has 1 million streams per month and their official videos now have over 11 million views and counting. The band also recently announced a partnership with Madre Mezcal, and curated a playlist of laid back Latin/African/Middle Eastern songs, listen here.
Thee Sacred Souls, who tour as a 7-piece including guitar, keyboards and two backing vocalists, recently finished a run with Belle and Sebastian, were on the road earlier this year with St. Paul & The Broken Bones, joined Cory Henry at Central Park SummerStage and will play several more headlining shows this autumn including their biggest headlining show in NYC yet at Bowery Ballroom on November 14. Full itinerary below.
Praise for Thee Sacred Souls
“Thee Sacred Souls transports us to a timeless scene of amorous yearning” - NPR
"Daptone's New Hope: incontestable evidence of an important new act...music of terrifyingly high quality...you'll hear heart-grabbing brilliance" - Uncut, 8 out of 10 stars
“Devastatingly beautiful…Thee Sacred Souls culls universal stories for a beautiful, accessible introduction to sweet soul revival” - Grammy.com
"Jumpstart The Lowrider! Thee Sacred Souls Hotwire Chicano Soul for the 2020's" - MOJO
“One of the most pleasing debut albums to come out in quite some time” - No Depression
“Fans of retro soul need to get onboard Thee Sacred Souls train immediately as the group has tapped directly into that classic sound with precision and grace on their debut self-titled offering” - Glide
“A Sultry slow jam with gorgeous horn stabs and a spoken passage that is so perfect it’s almost daft” - Narc Magazine
Listen/Download: https://daptone.ffm.to/theesacredsouls.OPR
More information here: https://shorefire.com/roster/thee-sacred-souls
Track list:
1. Can I Call You Rose?
2. Lady Love
3. Easier Said Than Done
4. Overflowing
5. Trade of Hearts
6. Weak For Your Love
7. Future Lover
8. Sorrow For Tomorrow
9. For Now
10. Once You Know
11. Happy And Well
12. Love Comes Easy
Tour Dates:
Aug-27 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Block Party
Aug-28 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (Sold Out)
Aug-30 - Petaluma, CA - Lagunitas Amphitheater (Sold Out)
Sep-1- Sacramento, CA - Harlow’s
Sep-2 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
Sep-3 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
Sep-14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room
Sep-16 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
Sep-17 - Lyons, CO - Mabon Harvest Concert Series
Sep- 18 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Sep- 22 - Milwaukee, WI - Colectivo
Sep- 23 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Sep- 25 - North Adams, MA - Freshgrass MassMoCA
Sep- 26 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
Sep- 28 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum Arts
Sep-29 - Houston, TX - Axelrad
Sep-30 - San Antonio, TX - Jaime’s Place
Oct-1 - San Antonio, TX - Jaime’s Place
Oct-4 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
Oct-5 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Oct-8 - San Bernardino, CA - Glen Helen Amphitheater (Art Laboe Show)
Nov-1 - Brussels, BE - AB Club
Nov-2 - Massy, FR - Les Primeurs
Nov-3 - Paris, FR - New Morning
Nov-5 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Upstairs
Nov-6 - Hamburg, DE - Knust
Nov-7 - Berlin, DE - Frannz
Nov-9 - London, UK - Bush Hall
Nov-14 - New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom
Nov-16 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
Nov-17 - Washington, DC - Black Cat