25-year-old LA native Henry Laufer released his first album ‘Bad Vibes’, in 2011. Following the releases success, the Los Angeles-based artist worked with alt-R&B stars like Jeremih and Banks, lending his murky and menacing tone. Returning back to solo work, Shlohmo has announced his forthcoming sophomore album, Dark Red, which finds him as dark and mystifying as ever.
With the announcement we also got our second taste of the forthcoming LP with “Buried”, and features cascading swirls of guitar, synths, and percussion that the producer describes as “if an Electric Wizard tried to make an R&B record, or if Boards of Canada met Burzum by the River Styx,” and ends the press release with the bold statement, “you don’t have to like it, just listen to it.”
Here is what Henry had to say about working on ‘Dark Red’:
“When I started working on ‘Dark Red’ about two and a half years ago, I had just moved back to LA and built a small studio in my apartment, mostly with my dad’s old gear from the ’80s,” Shlohmo says of the new direction, “I had just lost some people close to me and was dealing with another loved one’s health issues. I was all over the place mentally, and I think it reflects in this record whether I like it or not. The only thing I did know going into it, was that I wanted this one to be loud, and not just loud but really really f***ing loud. I wanted the sound of the thing to be devastating and violent. Recordings that force you to feel something even if that something isn’t good. I’m proud to have made something polarizing.”
The ‘Shlohmo Live Tour’ hits Dallas 4/5, and Dark Red is out 4/7 via True Panther/WeDidIt, so be sure to check out both.
