{"product_id":"drugdealer-raw-honey-cd-1","title":"Drugdealer - Raw Honey [CD]","description":"\u003cp\u003e“All anyone wants to be is what they can.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn an era when networked access to information is nearly universal and wearing influences on your sleeve is normalized, it often feels like everything’s been done. Which begs the questions: What’s the point of creating? Does the world need another still life of fruit? Another film about love? Does the world need another melody?\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e, his second album as \u003cb\u003eDrugdealer\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eMichael Collins\u003c\/b\u003e colors these existential conundrums with lush arrangements, memetic melodies, and a vulnerable tunefulness that tries to make sense of self-doubt and connected loneliness in our shared simulacra.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eCollins, who never played an instrument, let alone received musical training in any formal capacity, began experimenting with sounds in 2009 after traversing the US on freight trains. After a few years crafting abstract \u003ci\u003esampledelia\u003c\/i\u003e, he decided to forgo his experimental exercises in favor of teaching himself how to write the traditional song. In doing so, he made the decision to approach songwriting from the perspective of a listener, rather than a “musician.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2013, Collins headed west and enmeshed himself in the Los Angeles underground scene. It was then that he began collaborating with players in the orbit of \u003cb\u003eAriel Pink\u003c\/b\u003e, slowly over time crafting what would become Drugdealer’s debut album, \u003ci\u003eThe End of Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of sunlit songs as indebted to Laurel Canyon psych pop as it is Bacharian orchestration.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e continues where \u003ci\u003eThe End of Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e left off, with Collins once again leading an ace crew of collaborators to coalesce the spirit of Drugdealer’s classically modern pop. Built on the foundation of a creative partnership between Collins, \u003cb\u003eSasha Winn\u003c\/b\u003e (vocals) and \u003cb\u003eShags Chamberlain\u003c\/b\u003e(bass, production), Drugdealer is more a collective than band. \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003efeatures contributions of \u003cb\u003eJosh Da Costa\u003c\/b\u003e (drums), \u003cb\u003eJackson MacIntosh\u003c\/b\u003e(guitar), \u003cb\u003eDanny Garcia\u003c\/b\u003e (guitar), \u003cb\u003eMichael Long\u003c\/b\u003e (lead guitar), and \u003cb\u003eBenjamin Schwab\u003c\/b\u003e (backing vocals, guitar, organ, piano, wurlitzer), as well as guest vocalists like country balladeer \u003cb\u003eDougie Poole\u003c\/b\u003e (“Wild Motion”), \u003cb\u003eHarley Hill-Richmond\u003c\/b\u003e (“Lonely”), and frequent collaborator \u003cb\u003eNatalie Mering\u003c\/b\u003e (\u003cb\u003eWeyes Blood\u003c\/b\u003e) whose dulcet tones sing low before soaring on “Honey,” a track as silky as the nectar itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e, Collins and crew display their influences as a new tapestry, one woven with the recycled fibers from thousands of tapestries that have colored our collective listening histories. As evidenced throughout \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e, Collins has an ear for penning numbers that would sound as at home on Classic Rock radio as they would at Zebulon in Los Angeles, where any of the contributors to \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e could, perhaps, be found on any night of the week, on stage, or in the audience supporting another Angelino’s modern pop aspirations.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRather than hiding behind a curtain or casually sidestepping AOR tropes, \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e adheres to a modern kind of creation — one that cultivates influences and espouses reverence. An honest totem, \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e isn’t tangled up in social norms, with Collins prefering to air his self-doubt as a northern star to guide like-minded people wherever they need to go.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDrugdealer’s \u003ci\u003eRaw Honey\u003c\/i\u003e will be released on April 19, 2019 via Mexican Summer.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cdiv data-bt-autogen\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracklist:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou've Got To Be Kidding\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoney\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLonely\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLost In My Dream\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFools\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf You Don't Know Now, You Never Will\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWild Motion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLondon Nightmare\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnding On A Hi Note\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 184923124828\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mexican Summer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4.19.19\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e CD\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Rock Band Merch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59579924054097,"sku":"238047","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/5023\/8545\/files\/3639722-2420390.jpg?v=1780021434","url":"https:\/\/apocalypsevinyl.com\/products\/drugdealer-raw-honey-cd-1","provider":"Apocalypse Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}