OVERCOATS NEW ALBUM THE FIGHT OUT NOW
YOUR ANTIDOTE TO THE CURRENT APOCALYPSE
PERFORMING AT SXSW
CANADIAN TOUR DATES IN APRIL INCLUDE VANCOUVER,
TORONTO AND MONTREAL
MORE DATES ADDED TO NORTH AMERICAN
HEADLINE TOUR
“The singer-songwriters Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell layer their tightknit vocals into bright electronic soundscapes – a winning recipe” – The New York Times
“The Fight looks to be the moment where the New York born and bred duo unfurls into a full-blown pop sensation.” – Paste
Toronto, ON – March 6, 2020 – Critically acclaimed Brooklyn duo, Overcoats, have released their new album, The Fight, today via Loma Vista Recordings. Click here to listen.
Tempering punk energy with vulnerable vitality and irresistible catchiness, The Fight is a ten-song battle-cry. It’s the kind of record that might inspire you to quit your job, run a marathon, divorce your husband, change your life in the way you always wanted to, but needed an extra push for. The Fight is the push.
Hana and JJ explain "Our new album draws on the concept of fighting - whether it’s a fight with a significant other, a fight for rights & representation in politics, or a fight against inner demons. We want people to feel like things they thought were futile are possible, to feel excited for the future. We have to keep trying. In trying, we want people to feel powerful in who they are."
The Fight was produced by Justin Raisen (Angel Olson, Charli XCX, Santigold) and Yves Rothman (girl in red, Yves Tumor, Miya Folick).
“We’re always very D.I.Y.,” comments Overcoats. “We weren’t going to wait for some fancy producers and pop writers to pen us a record. We wrote it ourselves. We needed the right partners to record it. That’s Justin and his secret weapon, collaborator, Yves. They’re both as crazy as we are. They understood our vision: future-classic bangers.”
Overcoats first launched this fresh and fiery new chapter with a salty single entitled The Fool, which NPR named one of its Top 20 Songs of September. The video saw the duo making a statement by shaving their heads on-camera and igniting the next phase of their career with fearless honesty. They followed the release of The Fool with three additional tracks, Leave If You Wanna, Keep The Faith and Fire & Fury. The latter was also accompanied by a her Productions-directed video – click here to watch. The songs all feed an urgent theme of fighting for self, spirit and soul at all costs, whether it be in a relationship, in the world or in life.
Additionally, Overcoats will perform at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, TX as well as kick off a 6-week headline North American tour on April 2 in San Francisco. The run will feature Canadian Stops in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal throughout April, and a hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 2.
About Overcoats
Shaving their heads, grabbing guitars, and pulling no punches, Overcoats, made up of New York-natives Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell, etched a ten-song battle-cry on their second full-length album, The Fight [Loma Vista Recordings]. Their vision is not about picking up arms, but rather about picking oneself up. It’s the kind of record that might inspire you to quit your job, run a marathon, divorce your husband, change your life in the way you always wanted to, but needed an extra push for. This is the push.
As Overcoats wrapped up touring behind their critically acclaimed 2017 debut Young, it seemed as though the world was collapsing around them. There was no choice but to fight. So, they donned guitars in a shared New York city apartment and wrote the soundtrack to their fight. Hana and JJ personally assembled a team around themselves to help support their vision. Within a self-contained environment and under the watch of one London-based creative director, two LA-based producers, and, of course the two creators, the album came to life.
Inspired by everything from Young Marble Giants to The Violent Femmes to Iggy Pop, Overcoats rooted this next chapter in electric guitar and punk energy culled from nearly two years on the road. At the same time, they tempered the energy with a vulnerable vitality and irresistible catchiness. JJ explains, “The new music is a bit grittier and more rock-leaning, but there has always been and will always be a through-line of our voices singing in harmony.” “This album is going to break your heart, but also try to put it back together,” states Hana. “Allowing the guitar to dictate the sound, we tried to represent all of the stages of what this realization was. It’s not just depression, anger, and sadness; it’s the motivational stage too. It’s the pop song that helps to distract you from your sadness. It’s a call-to-arms to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and fight to stay alive.”
The Fight follows Overcoats’ debut full-length Young, which stood out as “one of the Top 5 bestselling albums from a debut artist on an independent label in 2017,” bowed at No. 4 on the Alternative New Albums Chart and landed at No. 12 on the Heatseekers Chart. Overcoats generated 50 million-plus streams, sold 30K albums, and regularly averaged 1 million-plus listeners on Spotify. Billboard touted Young among The Best Albums of 2017 – Critics Pick, and NPR Music named it the #4 Album of 2017. The album also received praise from the New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly and more.
OVERCOATS SXSW DATES:
March 18 – Austin, TX – StubHub @ Banger’s
March 18 – Austin, TX – Fender @ Mohawk
March 19 – Austin, TX – KCSN Radio Day Stage @ Austin Convention Center
March 19 – Austin, TX – Brooklyn Bowl / Consequence of Sound Reunion @ Scoot Inn
March 19 – Austin, TX – South By San Jose @ Hotel San Jose
March 19 – Austin, TX – SXSW Outdoor Stage @ Lady Bird Lake
March 20 – Austin, TX – Waterloo Records
March 20 – Austin, TX – KTSN “Sun Radio” @ Cosmic Coffee & Beer Garden
March 20 – Austin, TX – Secret Sounds @ Lucille
*More shows to be announced
OVERCOATS HEADLINE TOUR DATES:
April 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
April 4 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
April 5 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
April 6 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
April 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
April 9 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
April 11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
April 14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
April 15 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
April 16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
April 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
April 18 – Montreal, QC @ L'Escogriffe
April 23 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
April 25 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
April 26 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsey
April 28 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
April 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
April 30 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair
May 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 12 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
May 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
May 14 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo | DOWNLOAD – album cover artwork