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New music is cause for celebration always, and exponentially more so during these times of empty concert calendars and barrages of less welcome content.
Take a break from that one comfort album you've been spinning on repeat since March 16 (just me?) and spend some time with a new track from Portland's CHAD, out today. The slacker-pop band teamed up with Portland hip-hop artist ePP on "Tortuga," a reggaeton pop song fueled by a memorable synth hook and driving bass line.
According to a press release from the band, “Tortuga is about how America treats immigrants who are seeking asylum to escape extreme violence and poverty. [Vocalist Sarah] Lane ponders the loss of our nation's morality when she sings, "How do you know when/how do you know when/you went bad and you lost your soul when/turn her away then/turn her away then/she lost her soul when/she lost her soul when ..."
Tortuga Single Artwork
Connor Meyers/Courtesy of the artist
Cutting through Lane's forlorn lyrics is an urgent, earnest response from ePP. The rapper, who is signed to Portland hip-hop label EYRST and has previously collaborated with local artists including Ripley Snell, Neill Von Tally, and Dodgr (now L.A.-based), easily evokes emotion through bars and cadence that demand attention.
CHAD’s second EP "Good Talk" is due out on May 15. The record was produced by Cameron Spies (Radiation City, Night Heron), mastered by Hobbess, and recorded at Trash Treasury Recording in Portland, Oregon.