Debut album, release party, and a music video!
Hello hello hello!
I have so much to catch you all up on!
First, and most excitingly, my debut album Small Talk will be coming out in two weeks on Friday, June 23rd! You can pre-save it on your streaming platform of choice here <3
I've been working on this project for so long (5 years!) that I sometimes forget that "small talk" is a real phrase that means something other than this album. Small Talk is an exploration of my struggles to communicate; the gaps between what we want to say and what ends up coming out.
To celebrate the release, I will be hosting a release party on Saturday, June 24th at 8pm at the Blockhouse in Bloomington, IN! Cover will be $5. It's my first ever headliner and my first time performing with a full band. I'll have drums, bass, guitar, backup vocals, and a string trio on stage with me. I have two fantastic openers lined up: local artist Jae Neo on electric uke and an acoustic set from alt rock band SYZYGY. I feel so lucky to know so many talented musicians, and I'm so excited to perform with them.
I'll also have real merch for the first time! Small Talk CDs will be $10, plus shipping if you're not in Btown. If you'd like to pre-order one, you can respond to this email! My talented friend Ezra Awdey is also designing a T-shirt for me, featuring the vintage phone from the album cover. I haven't gotten the shirts to screenprint on yet, so if you think you might want one, you can request a size (anonymously) here
But that's not it! Along with the album, I'll be releasing a music video for the title track "Small Talk," directed and produced by Simone Bassett and starring myself and Drew Demora. We made these cardboard weather heads for the shoot based on a sketch in my journal from 2018. They're meant to represent emotional distance: "instead of talking about the real emotions in our heads, let's just small talk about the weather!"
Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here, and for reading this long email. The first ideas for this album came to me early in the morning on a bus ride way back in high school, and now I'm 23, finally releasing it, and there are actually people who want to listen. This album is, in a big way, about wanting to feel seen. Thank you for seeing me <3
xoxo,
Copeland James