By Stevie Connor.
Toronto based “collective” New West serves up their much-anticipated debut album, Based On A True Story.
The musicians immerse listeners within an intriguing, irresistible, and inimitable universe of their own. On “Main Character,” strings accent a thick drumbeat as the vocals soar with a bold and braggadocios promise of what to expect, “Shit you only see in the movies, that’s what we’re all about.” The title track “Based On A True Story” balances tender phrasing and breezy acoustic guitar based around a personal core theme, “Based on a true story. It’s the story of my life.” Then, there’s “Movie For No Reason.” Airy vocals coast over electric guitar as they set the scene for a hell of an evening, “Let’s make tonight a movie for no reason.” The finale “Retrograde” represents the record’s emotional apex. Over strains of cinematic piano, it culminates on a yearning, powerful refrain, “I’m still right here, just in retrograde, and all that I want is to lay down with you.”
The boys paved notably the way for the album with “Cold Tea.” Beyond posting up nearly half-a-million streams and counting, it racked up 117K YouTube views.
Speaking to their global appeal, the band touched down in Indonesia for a showstopping set at Soundrenaline 2023 last month They notably brought out Indonesian Idol winner Nyoman Paul to the stage for a duet on their breakout smash “Those Eyes.” Of course, the crowd erupted in a rapturous response.
Their 2023 fan favourite bundle, homecoming / in my city, has gathered millions of streams in addition to inciting critical applause. Right out of the gate, A1234 professed, “They’re soaring anthems that make you feel as if you’re flying through the sky, whilst remaining completely grounded within their ideology,” and promised “New West always brings the goods.”
New West continues to enchant audiences worldwide on tour as well. Following gigs with Tegan And Sara and making their Austin City Limits debut, they will also be opening for Charlotte Cardin on her US run. The tour includes stops at New York’s Irving Plaza on October 27th and two nights at LA’s The El Rey on November 7th. In addition they will be performing a headline gig at The Opera House in Toronto, Ontario on December 15.
Earlier this year, the group made their late-night television debut with a showstopping performance of their smash “Those Eyes” on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!. The song has already reached nearly 1 million streams worldwide and been certified platinum in Canada (with the US shortly behind!). The music video, directed by Sean Brown, sees the band performing in Los Angeles in a cinematic version of their unparalleled live performances.
Get ready for Based On A True Story… this fall!
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