Amythyst Kiah announces new album 'Still + Bright' & releases first track
AMYTHYST KIAH FINDS JOY ON NEW ALBUM
STILL + BRIGHT, OUT OCT. 25 VIA ROUNDER RECORDS
PRODUCED BY BUTCH WALKER, ALBUM FEATURES CO-WRITES WITH TIM ARMSTRONG (RANCID) AND SADLER VADEN (JASON ISBELL), MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS WITH S.G. GOODMAN, AVI KAPLAN, AND BILLY STRINGS + MORE
RELEASES NEW TRACK
‘PLAY GOD AND DESTROY THE WORLD (FEAT. S.G. GOODMAN)’
LISTEN HERE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES INCLUDE GRAND OLE OPRY, AMERICANAFEST + MORE
GRAMMY-winning songwriter Amythyst Kiah announces Still + Bright, her second album on Rounder Records, arriving October 25. Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, the 12-track album merges her revelatory storytelling with a darkly cinematic twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough Wary + Strange.
With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars to gilded pedal steel and Kiah’s exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright fully affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth.
Still + Bright explores the vast expanse of her inner world and interests: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural environment, the life lessons learned in her formative years, and much more.
Featuring collaborations with S.G. Goodman, Billy Strings and Avi Kaplan (Pentatonix), the project also marks a complete transformation in Kiah’s songwriting process: her first time opening up her approach and working with co-writers on an album. The album features co-writes with punk legend Tim Armstrong, Sadler Vaden (a guitarist/vocalist for Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit) and Sean McConnell (Brittney Spencer, Bethany Cosentino).
“On the last record it felt so cathartic to write about all the pain I was dealing with, but this time the songs came from a place of finding joy in the music,” says Kiah. “In the past I felt so mired down with anxiety that I sometimes held back from what I really wanted to write about; I felt like I needed to play it safe and keep certain thoughts to myself. But now I’m at a point where I’m confident in what I value and love, and because of that I’ve made the album I’ve always wanted to make.”
Pre-save Still + Bright here
Today, she shares the album’s first preview, ‘Play God and Destroy the World (feat. S.G. Goodman)’. Penned by Kiah with its title taken from a song she wrote at age 15, and inspired by The Matrix, the hard-charging track dispenses a searing commentary on the hypocrisy Kiah witnessed throughout her childhood in Appalachia – and ultimately speaks to the sense of hope and possibility she found in unexpected places.
Listen to ‘Play God and Destroy The World (Feat. S.G. Goodman)’ here
Kiah – who just wrapped up summer dates in support of Iron & Wine – will play the Grand Ole Opry on August 9th and return to Nashville for AmericanaFest in September. She will also continue touring the US this autumn with stops in Philadelphia, Raleigh for IBMA 2024 and more – see her full dates below.
About Amythyst Kiah:
With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter is a “fantastic fingerpicker, dynamo singer and profound songwriter [who] defies all sorts of stereotypes” (Guitar Player). Her 2021 release of Wary + Strange earned glowing features and reviews from The New York Times, NPR Morning Edition, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone, plus performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS Saturday Morning. Kiah is also a member of Our Native Daughters—an all-women-of-color supergroup whose standout track ‘Black Myself’ (written by Kiah) earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best American Roots Song. She recently joined Iron & Wine on their summer tour, and has shared stages with The Who, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, CAM and more.
Still + Bright Track List:
1. Play God and Destroy the World (feat. S.G. Goodman) (Amythyst Kiah, Sadler Vaden)
2. S P A C E (Kiah)
3. Empire of Love (Kiah, Sean McConnell)
4. I Will Not Go Down (feat. Billy Strings) (Kiah, Butch Walker)
5. Silk and Petals (feat. Butch Walker) (Kiah)
6. Die Slowly Without Complaint (feat. Avi Kaplan) (Kiah, Jeremy Lutito, Avi Kaplan)
7. Gods Under the Mountain (Kiah, McConnell)
8. Dead Stars (Kiah)
9. Dark Matter (Kiah)
10. Let’s See Ourselves Out (Kiah)
11. Never Alone (Kiah, Walker)
12. People’s Prayer (Kiah, Tim Armstrong)
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Aug. 9 | Grand Ole Opry | Nashville, TN
Aug. 16 | TD Pavillion at the Mann | Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 24 | Arcadia Folk Festival | East Hampton, MA
Sep. 19 | AmericanaFest - Concord Fish Fry Party | Nashville, TN
Sep. 20 | AmericanaFest | Nashville, TN
Sep. 27 | Rooted Rhythm Music Series | Fort Mill, SC
Sep. 28 | IBMA 2024 | Raleigh, NC
Oct. 11 | Reevestock | Elkin, NC
Oct. 18 | Caramoor Center for Music and The Arts | Katonah, NY
Nov. 14 | Stoughton Opera House | Stoughton, WI
Feb. 21 | Memorial Hall | Chapel Hill, NC
Feb. 22 | Davis Theatre | Concord, NC
Praise for Amythyst Kiah and Wary + Strange:
“Amythyst Kiah found her powerful voice. Now she has a sound to match it.”
New York Times
"A masterful blend of lonesome folk and neo-blues"
Rolling Stone
“Wary + Strange is a rock album that doesn’t play by anyone’s rules but her own."
Pitchfork
“Hard, heavy, and blues-inflected, her voices souring and powerful as she stands boldly in her uniqueness”
NPR
“Raw and strong.”
MTV
“Striking… blunt and poetic”
Teen Vogue
“a mesmerising, frequently hypnotic and always challenging work… one of this year’s most riveting releases.”
Holler
Follow Amythyst Kiah here:
Website: amythystkiah.com
Facebook: facebook.com/amythystkiah
Instagram: instagram.com/amythystkiah
Twitter: twitter.com/amythystkiah
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amythystkiah
