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Indie pop/rock trio half•alive, made up of multi-instrumentalists Brett Kramer, Josh Taylor, and J Tyler Johnson, have announced their third studio album Persona will be released November 15 via Virgin Music Group.
For a band that is known for their dynamic visuals and captivating production, the Long Beach-based trio was inspired to peel back the layers in the studio with producer Tommy King (HAIM, The 1975, Vampire Weekend). This started with the session for lead single “Sophie’s House”, an electrifying banger driven by infectious beats that will appeal to old and new fans alike.
“When starting the writing process for this album, we intentionally kept things broad, painting with a wide brush,” shares Josh Taylor. “As we developed ‘Sophie’s House’, an idea emerged that we kept throughout the entire record- to boil every song down to its most essential elements.”
“Lyrically the song explores the years of life that feel the most free— under your parent’s roof, summer break from high school.. autonomy before any real responsibility kicks in. It’s in that time that we don’t recognize how much freedom there is until it’s gone and we’re reflecting on it; as written in the lyric ‘wish that I could see I’m having the time of my life when I’m having the time of my life’. While the song doesn’t just bask in nostalgia, it begs the question: Can you turn nostalgia of the past into a wonder for the present?”
half•alive have also treated fans to a new music video, directed by Joshua Taylor of the band, for “Sophie’s House” today. Inspired by MGM-style musicals like West Side Story, the video showcases captivating choreography set against the expansive background of Los Angeles.
Persona aims to be a bold, cohesive and compact body of work that touches on love, anger, longing, crisis and estrangement. Throughout 11 tracks, half•alive will also explore what it means to be human – how do personalities develop and how does the outside world perceive you. At the end of it all, they challenge you to answer the question – are you looking or are you seeing?
Fans can pre-order and pre-save Persona ahead of its release here.
