Black Marble is back with a new video for the single “One Eye Open.” In addition, Chris Stewart has announced that his project has signed with Sacred Bones and will release the Bigger Than Life LP on October 25th. Black Marble will also be playing select live dates in November which you can check out after the YouTube embed for the new video.
Bigger Than Life was written and recorded after Stewart relocated from New York City to Los Angeles. With his car broken down after the move, the musician began using the bus to travel from his home in Echo Park to his studio space in Los Angeles. The long trip took him thru the cities varied urban landscape and forced him to confront its’ harshest human realities. With that perspective serving as the backdrop, Stewart explains:
“The album comes out of seeing and experiencing a lot of turmoil but wanting to create something positive out of it. I wanted to take a less selfish approach on this record. Maybe I’m just getting older, but that approach starts to feel a little self-indulgent…So with this record, it’s less about how I see things and more about the way things just are.”
The upcoming Black Marble album once again finds the musician in charge of instrumentation, recording, and production. Using all analog gear in the process, Stewart sought a different route than usual to compose the record. Working with an MPC to sequence live to his synthesizers, rather than a computer, provided a new avenue of creativity for the artist. He reports:
“I try new approaches every time, which helps me stay engaged but also it’s kind of a trick I play on the creative side of my brain. Keeping one side of my mind busy on organizational creativity I think frees up the other side where the inspirational creativity comes from.”
“One Eye Open” is the first single off Bigger Than Life, and the video for the track was directed by Stewart and Director of Photography, Ben Pier. The visuals star Halle Gaines, who also appears on the iconic cover for Black Marble’s 2016 LP It’s Immaterial (Ghostly International). With Los Angeles forming the backdrop, Gaines can be seen riding a Lime scooter throughout the city. Discussing the video, Chris Stewart explains:
“I love those scooters…People make fun of them but I think they are awesome and wanted to celebrate that through a character that seems a bit isolated but finds a kind of freedom on them and doesn’t really care what other people think.”
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Black Marble Tour Dates:
Nov 2 – Los Angeles, CA – SUBSTANCE at the Los Angeles Theater
Nov 7 – Austin, TX – Levitation at Empire Control Room
Nov 22 – Brooklyn, NY – at Bowery Ballroom (Record Release Show) w/ Automatic
