Amid their artistic rebirth, Asheville, NC prog-rock jammers The Snozzberries are not limiting themselves. With the announcement of the band’s upcoming self-titled sophomore studio album out October 11th, the band dropped their hard-hitting, aptly titled first studio release in four years, “Return“. Now, The Snozzberries are back with the album’s second single, the decidedly soulful “Hide (Testify)”.
Whereas “Return” arrived with crunching palm-muted power chords and cracks of thunder both literal and lyrical, “Hide (Testify)” comes in with Ian Taylor‘s calming electric piano and a bouncing beat. Drummer Paul Gladstone penned the homage to ’70s disco derby pop, but recently-installed bassist Josh Clark‘s impassioned pleas—which he wrote in-studio moments before recording them—bring the track to life.
A longtime veteran of the Asheville music scene and former bassist for the Travers Brothership, Clark has expanded The Snozzberries’ musical capabilities with his impressive vocal range and lead-style bass playing, as well as punctuated a period of intermittent lineup adjustments. Longtime frontman Ethan Heller on guitar and vocals shares the spotlight with Clark and contributes to the central harmonic vocals. “Hide (Testify)” is a telling song, emblematic of the Asheville mainstays’ continuing artistic development and an enticing preview of things to come.
“The fun thing about The Snozzberries is that we don’t just do one thing,” Heller told Live For Live Music. “We all have our own individual diverse influences. A pop/neo-soul song like ‘Hide’ has a symbiotic relationship [with] our heavier songs. Both live and on record, there are moments when you’ll be raging and others when you can take a breather and just vibe. We love to jam of course, but I’d say our biggest intention for this record is to write interesting songs.”
The Snozzberries will promote The Snozzberries with a 24-date album release tour which kicked off this past weekend in Colorado. Other notable stops on the headlining tour include dates in Chicago; Louisville; Charleston, SC; Richmond, VA; and more, along with dates supporting Perpetual Groove. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates here.
Stream The Snozzberries’ new single “Hide (Testify)” below and pre-order the album on CD or vinyl from the band’s website. “Return” was featured on the latest L4LM Monthly Mix “What’s New?” devoted to fresh releases. Stream the playlist on Spotify.
The Snozzberries — “Hide (Testify)”
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