Indie Folk Trio Distant Cousins Release New EP 'Out of the Darkness'
JULLIAN RECORDS
RECORDING ARTISTS
INDIE FOLK TRIO
DISTANT COUSINS
RELEASE NEW SIX-TRACK EP
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
EAST COAST TOUR SUPPORTING MATISYAHU
BEGINS AUGUST 22 IN MARSHFIELD, MA
August 16, 2024 (New York, NY) - Jullian Records recording artists Indie Folk trio Distant Cousins today release their new six-track EP, Out of the Darkness.
The new EP marks a shift in style and subject matter for Distant Cousins. Inspired by the tragic attacks on October 7th in Israel, the band decided to create a record that focuses on healing in the Jewish community.
Ami Kozak says, “In the past, we created music outside of the religious music world, but this was a conscious decision to put our Jewish identity first.”
The songs on Out of the Darkness are Distant Cousins’ first to use a combination of Hebrew and English with many of the direct quotes from Psalms. The achingly beautiful texts and inspiring interpretations are integrated into the band’s time-honored indie-folk sensibility.
Dov Rosenblatt says, “The album's main message is hope and healing. We are stepping ‘out of the darkness’ and into the light, with the songs being the pathway.”
Duvid Swirsky adds, “We have always aimed to write music that is universal and open—and I don’t feel these songs are any different. But the inspiration for Out of the Darkness comes from an intimate place, as we were writing to comfort each other during this time of intense upheaval. Emotions were raw but it was also the beginning of the healing process the three of us have gone through, and we finally feel ready to share that so that others can feel it too.”
Written in the days following October 7th, the opening track on Out of the Darkness, “Dimati,” translates to ‘my tears’ and is sung entirely in Hebrew. It is a crying out for one’s personal prayers - and tears - to be heard, to be recognized. Lyrics from the song are taken from: (Tehillim, Psalms 38, 39). Recorded live in the studio, just like the video Distant Cousins released, each member’s voice blends with the others creating a beautiful yet haunting harmony.
Also written just after October 7th, the following song “Without Warning” blends together Hebrew and English with the chorus coming from Tehillim, Psalm 143 translating to, “I stretch out my hands to you. My soul is like the parched earth.” The emotional, heartbreaking song taps into the feeling of one's entire reality being stolen.
The title of the EP comes from the third track “Me’Ayin” with the lyric, “Out of the darkness, out of the tears, out of the place where songs begin.” The instrumentation on “Me’Ayin” drives the song forward with electric guitars and drums backing the catchy vocals and melodies. The song represents resilience, faith, and triumph of the human spirit and delivers an uplifting message.
Featuring Noah Solomon from the band Soulfarm, “Turn To You” is another uplifting track that focuses on finding inspiration and rediscovering one’s self and purpose.
“One Step Out of Time” was written previously to the other songs on the record, during COVID isolation. The lyrics include parts of the Hebrew prayer for healing “el na Refah na la'' (Numbers 12:13).
The closing song on the EP “The Unknown” is sung entirely in English. The lyrics are a reflection on mortality and addiction while the instrumentation provides an uplifting, hopeful tone.
Following the release of Out of the Darkness, Distant Cousins are going on an East Coast tour with Matisyahu.
ON TOUR WITH MATISYAHU
August 22, 2024 - Marshfield, MA - Levitate Backyard
August 23, 2024 - Canandaigua, NY - Lincoln Hill Farms
August 25, 2024 - North Stonington, CT - Jonathan Edwards Winery
August 27, 2024 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
August 28, 2024 - Isle of Palms, SC - The Windjammer
August 29, 2024 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Music Hall
