Aaron Frazer is returning with his second solo album, Into the Blue. The Durand Jones & the Indications drummer and singer will release his sophomore set June 28 via Dead Oceans. Frazer called the album “the clearest portrait of who I am as an artist” in the press release.
Frazer also shared two lead singles — “Payback” and titular track “Into the Blue” — off the new album. Both singles are accompanied by visuals directed by Eliot Lee and Marielle Co, respectively.
“Payback” is a fast-paced song with Northern Soul drums, a standout bass line and Frazer’s signature falsetto. “ʻPaybackʼ is about karma,” said Frazer. “When you wrong someone, in love or in life, it has a funny way of coming back to bite you, no matter how much you try to run from it. The music feels like a chase scene, and lyrically that brought me to the idea that payback is on its way, like Iʼm being chased by my own comeuppance.”
According to Frazer, Into the Blue is a heartbreak album about the end of a long term relationship that saw the crooner moving cross country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Co-produced by Grammy-winner Alex Goose (known for his work with hip-hop artists such as Freddie Gibbs, Madlib and Brockhampton), Into the Blue moves through differing sounds and genres to display Frazer’s deep love of music.
The album follows Frazer’s 2021 debut Introducing…, which was produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. The debut, sang fully in falsetto, was akin to Frazer’s work with soul band Durand Jones & the Indications. Now, said Frazer, “Iʼm excited to keep breaking some of the expectations around what exactly Iʼm supposed to be, artistically and musically.”
Showcasing the breadth of talent and genres on the new album, single “Into the Blue” is a gentler affair. The haunting track feels cinematic as Frazer takes the listener on a ride through heartbreak. “ʻInto the Blueʼ is what Iʼve been calling the unknown, when youʼre no longer tied to your dock of stability,” Frazer explained. “I wanted to capture the feeling of loneliness and isolation on this song, and the vastness of the desert and driving west. Emotionally, this song feels like where Iʼve been at this year, when my relationship came to an end. There is an isolation and a sadness, but also a feeling of resoluteness and bravery. I think you have to be brave to navigate those moments of brutal, chaotic transition.”
See Frazer’s album announcement below:
