Last year, Busty and The Bass, the octet of Nick Ferraro [vocals, alto sax], Evan Crofton a.k.a. Alistair Blu [vocals, keys, synths], Scott Bevins [trumpet], Chris Vincent [trombone], Louis Stein [guitar], Milo Johnson [bass], Eric Haynes [keys, piano], and Julian Trivers [drums] recorded their acclaimed new record, Eddie, over three uninterrupted weeks in Montreal with Grammy Award nominated producer and sonic guide Neal Pogue (Tyler The Creator, Outkast, Anderson .Paak). The group also teamed up with Earth, Wind & Fire legend Verdine White who serves as the executive producer of the album.
Earlier this week, the group announced the upcoming release of the instrumental version of Eddie, out June 11, 2021 via Arts & Crafts. You can already listen to the instrumental version of “Time Don’t Make me A Stranger” below:
Chris Vincent explains:
“We wanted to give our audience a moment to just sit with the music. Being such a large ensemble, every instrument and note you hear was carefully crafted and cared for, and by sharing the instrumental version with you, we feel we get to bring you one step closer into our world, and let each part of the dish speak for itself.”
Milo Johnson adds:
“On this record we really expanded our overall approach to the arranging and orchestration of the record. We treated many of the tracks quite cinematically, working with a great string quintet and using our horns in a way that highlighted the grandiosity of the music. All this floated overtop of a solid foundation laid by the rhythm section.”
Eddie sets out to answer the questions ‘What advice would you impart on that younger self? And if you could pass your younger self a mixtape, what would it sound like?’ The resulting 12 tracks set nostalgic and vulnerable lyrical ruminations against a soundscape of simmering soul, fiery funk, spirited rock, hypnotic hip-hip, perennial psychedelic funk and artful R&B. The character of Eddie stands in as a representative for the group’s collective past identity but far from a concept album, he serves as a common thematic thread tying the songs back to those central questions.
Busty And The Bass first burst onto the scene in early 2015, releasing a pair of EPs—GLAM [2015] and LIFT [2016]—before unveiling 2017’s full-length debut, Uncommon Good and in the time since have amassed over 30 MILLION streams worldwide. In addition to packing houses on headline tours, including recent SOLD OUT shows at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom and LA’s Troubadour, they graced the stages of international festivals such as Made in America, Osheaga, Pinkpop, Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Great Escape, Ottawa Bluesfest, and Rifflandia, playing alongside the likes of Radiohead, Anderson .Paak, and Lana Del Rey.
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