TORONTO ALTERNATIVE COLLECTIVE NEW WEST UNVEILS ANTICIPATED DEBUT ALBUM BASED ON A TRUE STORY… OUT NOW
SUPPORTING TEGAN AND SARA, KODALINE & CHARLOTTE CARDIN THIS FALL
Based On A True Story… Album Artwork
20 OCTOBER 2023 (TORONTO, ON) –Today, Toronto based “collective” New West serves up their much-anticipated debut album, Based On A True Story…, out now via Giant Music/Republic Records/Universal Music Canada.
Listen to Based On A True Story…: newwest.lnk.to/boats
The musicians immerse listeners within an intriguing, irresistible, and inimitable universe of their own. On “Main Character,” strings accent a thick drumbeat as the vocals soar with a bold and braggadocios promise of what to expect, “Shit you only see in the movies, that’s what we’re all about.” The title track “Based On A True Story” balances tender phrasing and breezy acoustic guitar based around a personal core theme, “Based on a true story. It’s the story of my life.” Then, there’s “Movie For No Reason.” Airy vocals coast over electric guitar as they set the scene for a hell of an evening, “Let’s make tonight a movie for no reason.” The finale “Retrograde” represents the record’s emotional apex. Over strains of cinematic piano, it culminates on a yearning, powerful refrain, “I’m still right here, just in retrograde, and all that I want is to lay down with you.” See the full tracklisting below.
The boys paved notably the way for the album with “Cold Tea.” Beyond posting up nearly half-a-million streams and counting, it racked up 117K YouTube views on the lyric video.
Speaking to their global appeal, the band touched down in Indonesia for a showstopping set at Soundrenaline 2023 last month They notably brought out Indonesian Idol winner Nyoman Paul to the stage for a duet on their breakout smash “Those Eyes.” Of course, the crowd erupted in a rapturous response.
Their 2023 fan favorite bundle, homecoming / in my city, has gathered millions of streams in addition to inciting critical applause. Right out of the gate, A1234 professed, “They’re soaring anthems that make you feel as if you’re flying through the sky, whilst remaining completely grounded within their ideology,” and promised “New West always brings the goods.”
New West continues to enchant audiences worldwide on tour as well. Following gigs with Tegan And Sara and making their Austin City Limits debut, they will also be opening for Charlotte Cardin on her US run. The tour includes stops at New York’s Irving Plaza on October 27th and two nights at LA’s The El Rey on November 7th. In addition they will be performing a headline gig at The Opera House in Toronto, Ontario on December 15.
Check out the full confirmed itinerary below and full tour dates www.newwest199x.com.
Earlier this year, the group made their late-night television debut with a showstopping performance of their smash “Those Eyes” on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! Watch HERE. The song has already reached nearly 1 million streams worldwide and been certified platinum in Canada (with the US shortly behind!). The music video, directed by Sean Brown, sees the band performing in Los Angeles in a cinematic version of their unparalleled live performances. Check out the official music video for “those eyes (Group Session)” HERE!
Get ready for Based On A True Story… this fall!
PC: Sean Brown
Based On A True Story… Tracklisting:
- Main Character
- Cold Tea
- Based On A True Story
- Death Proof
- Homecoming
- In My City
- Movie For No Reason
- How You Been Lately
- IYKYK
- Retrograde
- Those Eyes
Tour Dates:
October 24th Washington DC Union Stage*
October 25th Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall*
October 27th New York, NY Irving Plaza*
October 28th Philadelphia, PA The Foundry*
October 30th Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall*
November 5th San Diego, CA House of Blues*
November 7th Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theater*
November 9th San Francisco, CA The Independent*
November 11th Portland, OR Mission Theater*
November 12th Seattle, WA Neumos*
November 16th Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom*
November 17th Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom*
December 15th Toronto, ON The Opera House
February 6th Ottawa, ON The Arena at TD Place*
February 8th Laval, QC Place Bell*
February 9th Laval, QC Place Bell*
February 10th Laval, QC Place Bell*
*Supporting Charlotte Cardin
** Supporting Kodaline
Tickets can be found at www.newwest199x.com
About New West:
Four individuals. One vision. Endless possibilities. Meet New West. The Toronto-based “collective” comprises four individual artists, namely Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West. For as different as they respectively may be in terms of where they’re from, how they create, and why they’re here, they fit together as seamlessly as long-lost puzzle pieces. They rotate between instruments and pass around the mic, morphing in real-time across each and every song with an unabashedly warm nostalgic undercurrent. Their very first release “Those Eyes” hinted at the potential of their chemistry. Its lush lo-fi acoustic guitar, dreamy piano, lullaby melody, and quotable play-by-play of a relationship in full bloom instantly reacted with listeners worldwide. It initially popped off on TikTok (the guys aren’t quite sure where but it’s all good), and the success slowly but surely translated to streaming platforms. Between the Original and “Sped Up” version, it has clocked over 700 million streams. Tracing an invisible line all the way from the British Invasion to 21st century alternative R&B, they defy genre as they simultaneously define a singular style on their 2023 forthcoming full-length debut for Giant Music/Republic Records and much more to come.
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