Naima Bock 's second album Below a Massive Dark Land will be released on September 27 on the legendary Sub Pop label. The follow-up to Giant Palm, which was probably one of the most celebrated debuts of 2022 and led Naima Bock on a seemingly endless tour with various headline and support shows for artists such as A. Savage, J Mascis, Squid, Rodrigo Amarante, Arab Strap, Katy J Pearson and This Is The Kit .
And whether with a ten-piece band, as a three-piece or solo, when Naima Bock was on stage, a rare connection developed between the musicians on stage and the audience in front of it.
Bock wrote her second album, Below a Massive Dark Land, largely on her own. This may come as a surprise, as it consists of opulent, detailed arrangements and a huge cast of guest musicians. This could already be heard in the music of Giant Palm, a record that swells and swells, a chorus of voices and instruments rising and falling along with Naima's own soaring voice.
And yet the starting point for most of the songs on Below a Massive Dark Land was very, very simple: Naima was living alone in her grandmother's shed in South London, writing with just her voice, guitar and violin. She is not a violin virtuoso, but she deliberately chose the violin for her songwriting because she could coax melodies out of it that the guitar could not. Possibly one of the reasons why her songs seem to drift straight to the back of your mind and lodge there like fallen leaves. Songs that you sing as soon as you wake up. The rest was written on tour, after those moments of connection with the audience, in the silence that followed.
The result is an album that still has a majestic quality that made Giant Palm so remarkable. Lyrically, however, Below a Massive Dark Land is deeper and darker than the debut. The arrangements seem more ambitious and mature - a development similar to that of artists such as Kevin Morby or Father John Misty - in whose musical neighborhood Naima Bock should obviously feel comfortable - or vice versa.
Sofi Paez is a pianist and composer born in San José, Costa Rica. She experiments with the piano, her voice and electronic elements - always looking for new ways to express her musical roots. She sings in both Spanish and English.
Her pieces are often influenced by daily life and the nature that surrounds her. In 2023, Sofi first attracted major attention with the release of her EP Circles, making a name for herself as an artist to keep an eye on in the future. That same year, she was invited by Ólafur Arnalds to perform at the premiere of his new event series OPIA. And it was also announced there that Sofi would be the first release on Ólafur' s eponymous label OPIA. Her first album Silent Stories was released there a few weeks ago.
After a very special headphone concert at the Futur 2 Festival, Sofi Paez is now coming back to Hamburg to play a double concert together with Naima Bock at the beautiful Nachtasylon December 7th .
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