TOURIST RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM U TODAY VIA MONDAY RECORDS
GRAMMMY-WINNING WILLIAM PHILLIPS AKA TOURIST PLAYS NY’S PANORAMA, HANGOUT FESTIVAL, LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE, CAMP BISCO ETC
TOURIST “RUN” (THE RANGE REMIX) HERE
WATCH THE RYAN MCGINLEY-INSPIRED VIDEO FOR “RUN”, DIRECTED BY OZZIE PULLIN – NSFW DIRECTOR’S CUT HERE + CENSORED HERE
ORDER ALBUM NOW HERE
photo credit: Stephanie Sian Smith
“Undoubtedly one of the best pieces of music from 2016 so far….” – Zane Lowe on BEATS 1
“Anthemic” “Rich and complete,” “Blended together with expert craftmanship” – Pitchfork
“Falls distinctly between the bedroom and the dancefloor” – FADER
“…electronic music that’s packed with heart, soul and emotion.” I-D
“Dance floors on both sides of the Atlantic are buzzing about this emerging producer-to-watch” – NPR
Today, London-based GRAMMY Award winning writer-producer William Phillips, AKA Tourist releases his long-awaited debut album U viaMonday Records. His effervescent single “Run” has been out for a month, added to BBC’s Radio 1, KCRW and Triple J playlists and peaked to #1 on the Hype Machine charts like the vast majority of his earlier EP tracks as well as “To Have You Back”, “Wait” and “Waves” from incredible the debut U.
You could say the whole album is about love, not just “Run”, taking you through the beginnings of a relationship to the parting of ways. It follows a clear path, with the track names telling the story from “To Have You Back” and “My Love” to “Too Late”, “Foolish” and “For Sarah”. The album was written over the course of several years and sees Phillips take a more stripped back approach following previous singles and EPs that saw features from vocalists including Lianne La Havas, Will Heard and Olly Alexander (Years & Years).
Tourist explains further, “This is an album that reflects on a relationship I had with someone. I called it U as the word ‘You’ looks a bit accusatory, and the tone of this album certainly isn’t bitter – U is a shape that is balanced but also incomplete so I thought it was a nice visual metaphor for a failed relationship.
I wouldn’t describe this record as mournful or sorrow filled, merely a reflection on my first relationship. I’ve always recorded a lot of my life through my phone, and whilst writing the album I found a huge number of recordings that I had made whilst being in that relationship, so my ex’s voice is all over this record. Also the sounds of the places we lived and visited together form prominent backdrops to the music.
I don’t know how to describe it sonically, it’s not really body music, it’s just a story told through different tempos and sounds. I’m not channeling any specific scene or sound, just my thoughts and feelings. I don’t really understand the term “electronic music” but I suppose if pressed I’d call it that. I have zero interest in beats and scenes, I’m much more interested in stories. I feel as though this is the biggest lesson I learnt whilst writing this album, that I don’t write music to express myself but to enrich myself. It wasn’t until finishing this album that I could truly feel at peace with that chapter in my life.”
2016 looks set to be no less busy, with UK/EU and North American live dates kicking off the day after the album release, including a sold out headline show at London’s XOYO on May 11th and festival appearances including Field Day, Wilderness, Bestival and the major festivals Hangout Festival, Lightning In A Bottle, Camp Bisco, Forecastle, Capitol Hill Block Party and New York’s inaugural Panorama. Full dates are below and tickets are available here.
TOURIST LIVE:
05.07 – Dublin, Ireland – Academy Green Room
05.09 – Glasgow, Scotland – King Tut’s
05.10 – Manchester, England – Deaf Institute
05.11 – London, England – XOYO
05.12 – Brighton, England – The Haunt
05.20-22 – Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Festival
05.25-30 – Lake San Antonio, CA – Lightning In A Bottle
06.11-12 – London, England – Field Day
06.17-20 – Dufur, OR @ What The Festival
07.02 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Pitch Festival
07.15-17 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
07.16 – Scranton, PA @ Camp Bisco
07.22-24 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ WayHome Festival
07.24 – New York, NY – Panorama
07.23 – Seattle, WA @ Capitol Hill Block Party
08.06 – Oxfordshire, UK @ Wilderness Festival
09.10 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
Tourist – U – Monday Records
01. U
02. To Have You Back
03. Run
04. Wait
05. My Love (Interlude)
06. Waves
07. Too Late
08. Foolish
09. Separate Ways
10. For Sarah
http://touristmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/musicbytourist
http://soundcloud.com/touristmusic
http://twitter.com/Tourist
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