Tennyson (aka Luke Pretty) returns with ‘Rot’, his first full-length LP, out February 18th, 2022 on Counter Records.
Throughout the album’s 12 tracks Luke refines the signature Tennyson sound, making his flurried beats come into focus and his already riveting hooks catchier. This is also the first project in which Luke lends his voice to almost every song, with the exception coming from a feature with singer-songwriter Rae Morris on the pained but heartfelt ‘Slow Dance’. Dramatic dynamics and emotional weight are the driving force of ‘Rot’, making for pop music fit for misfits.
Along with the announcement comes a new single, “Iron”, a striking first glimpse into ‘Rot’. The track finds Luke struggling to escape the deep recesses of a multi-layered nightmare. By mixing restless lyrics and apprehensive vocals with lively production, “Iron” makes for an arresting track that highlights unending frustrations to their fullest degree.
Speaking more on the track, Luke says that: “The lyrics are about the worst nightmare I’ve ever had. In the dream I kept waking up over and over again — while not actually waking up. Each time I woke up I would get out of bed and do what I could to confirm that I was in reality… only to wake up again. I must have “woken up” at least ten times. Each loop became increasingly more horrifying because I was so sure I had finally escaped.
When I finally did wake up it was unmistakable. I knew in that moment I wasn’t dreaming, and I wept with relief. Even so, for the first few hours of the morning a constant stream of chills ran down my spine: What if I were to wake up now?”
Written during a period of distress, after developing a sudden hearing condition brought on by mold exposure, ‘Rot’ is a musical diary of a brain gone sideways; the soundtrack of a young artist on the brink of his own disaster. As an escape from these troubles, Luke found solace in what he knew best. He wrote songs on his computer, more to keep his hands busy than thoughtful expression.
“I was working on these tiny little speakers and making what I thought was garbage,” he remembers, but when he moved back into his newly renovated room and listened back to the music, the melodies made him cry. “It sounded like what I went through,” he says.
The completion of ‘Rot’ then marks a metaphorical and artistic milestone for Luke. “I’m starting to get more of a sense of what my skill set is,” he says, “Somehow, I’ve gotten a pretty strong handle on controlling sound in a very specific way. I don’t think it’s genius or sparks or something. I think I’m just looking at the right things by luck.”
The forthcoming album arrives three years after critically acclaimed EPs ‘Different Water’ and ‘Telescope’ from 2019. Tennyson has built quite a name in indie electronic over the past decade, headlining multiple tours throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, amassing over 60M streams on Spotify and garnering press coverage from the likes of The Guardian, NPR, Splice, Vogue, Complex, Billboard, FADER, Red Bull, Ones To Watch, Sidewalk Hustle, Chicago Reader, FACT, This Song Is Sick, Dancing Astronaut among others.
‘Rot’ is out on Counter Records on February 18th, 2022, with new single “Iron” out now.
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