Toronto's Eliza Niemi has announced her full-length debut Staying Mellow Blows, which is arriving August 5 via Vain Mina and Tin Angel Records.
Alongside the album announcement, Niemi has also shared the Ryan Al-Hage-directed video for first single "Sushi California," a piece of mellow synth-pop produced by Mike Fong.
About "Sushi California," Niemi said:
It tells the story of two people spending the day together, each on completely different wavelengths. One is sadly thinking about their father aging, while the other is drunk on romance. It's about how the exact same interaction can feel completely different to someone depending on how they happen to project onto it. The first half of the song is playful (if not a bit delusional) as the protagonist projects affection and understanding onto their companion after a brief exchange.
The second half is pessimistic as the protagonist recounts the same exchange later in a different setting making them feel the complete opposite. There's such an element of performance to human interaction, especially in romance, and I wanted to expose the absurdity/tragedy/comedy of that in "Sushi California," especially with the music video. I am alone, in my own world, goofily performing for no one -- much like the song's protagonist.
Staying Mellow Blows is the full-length follow-up to 2020's Glass EP.
Check out the video for "Sushi California," plus the Staying Mellow Blows tracklist below.
Staying Mellow Blows:
1. MPF (Movies)
2. Sushi California
3. Tea on a Plate
4. Murphy's
5. Trust Me
6. Walking Feels Slow
7. Don't Think
8. Not Killing Bad Energy
9. Leave Me
10. Death I
11. Death II
12. Rolling
13. Staying Mellow Blows
Pre-order Staying Mellow Blows .
Alongside the album announcement, Niemi has also shared the Ryan Al-Hage-directed video for first single "Sushi California," a piece of mellow synth-pop produced by Mike Fong.
About "Sushi California," Niemi said:
It tells the story of two people spending the day together, each on completely different wavelengths. One is sadly thinking about their father aging, while the other is drunk on romance. It's about how the exact same interaction can feel completely different to someone depending on how they happen to project onto it. The first half of the song is playful (if not a bit delusional) as the protagonist projects affection and understanding onto their companion after a brief exchange.
The second half is pessimistic as the protagonist recounts the same exchange later in a different setting making them feel the complete opposite. There's such an element of performance to human interaction, especially in romance, and I wanted to expose the absurdity/tragedy/comedy of that in "Sushi California," especially with the music video. I am alone, in my own world, goofily performing for no one -- much like the song's protagonist.
Staying Mellow Blows is the full-length follow-up to 2020's Glass EP.
Check out the video for "Sushi California," plus the Staying Mellow Blows tracklist below.
Staying Mellow Blows:
1. MPF (Movies)
2. Sushi California
3. Tea on a Plate
4. Murphy's
5. Trust Me
6. Walking Feels Slow
7. Don't Think
8. Not Killing Bad Energy
9. Leave Me
10. Death I
11. Death II
12. Rolling
13. Staying Mellow Blows
Pre-order Staying Mellow Blows .
