Blitzen Trapper release psychedelic odyssey with lead single ‘Cosmic Backseat Education’ from upcoming album
Blitzen Trapper image via Jason Quigley
Along with the release of the lead single, ‘Cosmic Backseat Education,’ the band has announced their highly anticipated album, 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions, set for release on May 17, 2024, via Yep Roc Records.
Blitzen Trapper’s lead single, ‘Cosmic Backseat Education,’ unveils a sonic kaleidoscope, blending psych-rock nuances with classic songwriting. The accompanying puppet-starring video, directed by Angeline Armstrong and Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, adds a visually captivating layer to the song’s ruminative yet urgent narrative.
Here they are describing the track and video:
“I remember lying in the backseat of my parents’ car as a kid and just listening to the radio, which I think is where I got most of the education that I’ve used in my life and my career. We’re so brainwashed to have these goals and milestones that we all chase, but music is inherently purposeless outside of joy. If you can learn to see that same purposelessness in life, it frees you up to enjoy every moment,” explains Earley of the song, adding about the contrastingly playful video, “Everybody says the puppeteer is in control, but everybody knows the puppet is actually calling the shots. Mr. Rogers meets Kill Bill, vigilante justice but only cotton stuffing gets spilled in these streets!”
100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions marks Blitzen Trapper’s first new album since 2020’s Holy Smokes Future Jokes. Produced by Eric Earley and recorded by guitarist Nathan Vanderpool, the album features backing vocals by Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats/Bonny Light Horseman) and Anna Tivel (Tivel also plays violin and sings throughout) on the track ‘Planetarium.’ The album’s abstract collage cover by Robert Pollard sets the tone for a journey into realms beyond dreams and reality, exploring themes of rebirth, transcendence, and the circularity of existence.
“This whole project grew out of a box of old four-track tapes from the ’90s that I found recently. The tapes were full of songs I’d written and recorded back when I was 19 or 20 years old, and the sound and the spirit of those recordings got me excited to start writing music again, to go back to working the way I did when I was first starting out.”
‘Cosmic Backseat Education’ is out now. 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions is set for release on May 17, 2024, via Yep Roc Records.
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