NYC-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Imani Coppola is announcing her upcoming spectacle of a record, The Protagonist, out October 4, 2019 via Ipecac Recordings.
An album for a sunny day in the depths of an inevitable dystopia, The Protagonist radiates with a sense of urgency and inspiration – every song fraying at the edges from Imani’s barefaced need to deliver her message, coming from a place of love, hurt, deep emotion, or a momentous compulsion to be abrasive as fuck. As a mirror to her sense of urgency and chaos, The Protagonist shifts genres like a gymnast, flawlessly morphing from the Country hoedown of “Blackteria” to the rhythmic 60s girl group of “Rattle” to the piano-led balladry of “Contributing Member of Society” without a misstep or tumble.
Featuring her graceful expertise on the violin, her fourth single from The Protagonist, “Contributing Member of Society” celebrates the release of its accompanying video today. The song dons a wistful posture and drunken country twang with lyrics that don’t candy-coat Imani’s perceptions and hopes.
IMANI COPPOLA “Contributing Member of Society”
Taking on a dazzling balancing act of production and instrumental dexterity, each twist and turn, the sonic swerving, punk energy, and 90’s pop broken up by hammering drum machine attacks of The Protagonist will force you to rewind and listen again until every song is wedged in your brain like a bedazzled ice pick. “Musically I wanted to apply myself in every way I possibly could,” she explains, making sure that all of these precise and purposeful arrangements are as personal as possible. “I wanted the music to truly reflect who I am. I wanted to touch every instrument, write and play every part, put love and attention into the strings, show my vulnerability, my weaknesses and my strengths.”
For some tracks on the record, Imani turned inward to address her experience with mental health. “I wanted to expose these themes of depression, chemical dependency, self medication, isolation, self harm because all too often these topics are ignored until it’s too late and then you end up with a really f*cking talented dead person.”
Every song on The Protagonist plays an irreplaceable role in the album’s ability to captivate.
Imani Coppola’s The Protagonist is out October 4, 2019 via Ipecac Recordings.
** Pre Order The Protagonist Here **
https://smarturl.it/ImaniCoppola