On June 28th, Sub Pop will release Washed Out’s fifth and most audacious album to date, Notes From A Quiet Life. The music of Washed Out has always levitated over a timeless frontier. You can sense it in his immersive, amorphous vocals, expansive soundscapes, and wistful storytelling. In 2021, Washed Out’s creative force, Ernest Greene, left Atlanta to return to the countryside he knew growing up. Where escapism once flooded his thoughts, today, he is preoccupied with the universe of wonder in the reality around him.
 
He named the former horse farm he moved to “Endymion” (after the pastoral John Keats poem about a lovesick shepherd — its opening line: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”). It has shaped all that he’s created there, from his music to his albums’ creative direction to his planned large-scale visual-art experiments. That purity of vision is what makes Notes From a Quiet Life so potent. It’s the first album Greene wholly self-produced, with mixing assistance from Nathan Boddy (James Blake, Mura Masa) and David Wrench (Caribou, Florence + the Machine).
 
Unabashed and unafraid to pioneer and incorporate new technologies within his art, Greene enlisted multi-disciplinary Artist, Writer, and Director Paul Trillo to direct the music video for the album’s lead single, “The Hardest Part.” Created using OpenAI’s Sora, “The Hardest Part” marks the first collaboration with an artist and filmmaker to be generated entirely utilizing this technology.
 
Director Paul Trillio shares:
“I had the seed of this video concept 10 years ago, where we do an infinite zoom of a couple’s life over the course of many decades, but I have yet to attempt it because I figured it’d be too ambitious for a music video. While the technology is experimental and cutting-edge, I wanted to do something that also felt like a classic music video that would hold your attention no matter what tech was being used in the process. I was specifically interested in what makes Sora so unique. It offers something that couldn’t quite be shot with a camera, nor could it be animated in 3D, it was something that could have only existed with this specific technology. The surreal and hallucinatory aspects of AI allow you to explore and discover new ideas that you would have never dreamed of.  Using AI to simply recreate reality is boring. I wasn’t interested in capturing realism but something that felt hyperreal. The fluid blending and merging of different scenes feels more akin to how we move through dreams and the murkiness of memories. While some people feel this may be supplanting how things are made, I see this as supplementing ideas that could never have been made otherwise. Many artists in this industry are constantly compromising and negotiating their ideas with the reality of what can be made. This offers a glimpse at a future where music artists will be given the opportunity to dream bigger. An overreliance on this technique may become a crutch and it’s important that we don’t use this as the new standard of creation but another technique in the toolbelt.”
 
Ernest Greene says about the song & video: 
“‘The Hardest Part’ is a story about nostalgia and love lost.  With the video, I wanted to bring this narrative to life in a sincere way that was also exciting and unexpected. I’ve been a fan of Paul for a long time and he is amazingly skilled at incorporating cutting-edge visual effects that elevate a story instead of simply supplementing it with shock and awe. He was at the top of my list of potential collaborators. 
 
What he’s come up with is nostalgic, sad, uplifting, and often quite strange.  However, he still manages to make you feel for the characters and invested in the journey of how their lives progress.
I think that Paul is right when he says that this video could only be made using this new AI technology.  In my opinion, the hallucinatory quality of Sora clips feel like the beginning of a new genre unto itself - one that is surreal and unpredictable and entirely unique to traditional cinema or even animation.”
 
About Sora/OpenAI:
OpenAI’s Sora is an AI model that can create realistic and imaginative videos from text instructions. Though the model is not yet released, OpenAI is working with a number of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers to gain feedback on how to advance the model to be most helpful for creative professionals. 
 
About OpenAI: 
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. 
 
Click HERE to watch. 

On Saturday, February 12th, 2022, Washed Out and his band, closed out their headlining tour with a sold-out show at The Eastern, the recently opened 2,300-cap venue in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. The tour was in support of Purple Noon, his acclaimed album of 2020. 
 
Ernest Greene teamed up with Nashville-based designer Jonny Kingsbury (Clairo, Khruangbin, Charlie XCX) to develop the tour’s visually arresting lighting and stage production design, with the intent to film the performance for fans outside the US. The Purple Noon: Live at The Eastern live stream event is co-presented by Mandolin/NoonChorus, and will air Sunday, March 13th, 2022 in North America (at 8:00 PM EDT), in the UK and Europe (at 8:00 PM GMT), and in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan (at 8:00 PM AEDT). Tickets for the performances are $13 USD, and available here.
 
Greene says of the event: “Happy to announce a worldwide livestream event which is likely to be one of the final chances for people to see the “Purple Noon’ live show. I’m really proud of this show and want to share it with the world but know because of Covid complications it will likely never be performed again.
 
“We were lucky enough to have a film crew capture the last show of our recently completed US tour, in my hometown of Atlanta which was really special for me. I’ve spent more time and effort on this ‘Purple Noon’ show than on any other tour combined. The audio and visuals is without a doubt the best realization of the WO experience and I can’t wait to share it with all who would like to be a part of it.”

Washed Out’s Purple Noon features the singles “Too Late,” “Time to Walk Away,” and “Paralyzed,” was produced and recorded by Ernest Greene and mixed by Ben H. Allen in Atlanta, Georgia. Purple Noon is available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop and Washed Out’s official website, select independent retailers in North America, in the U.K. and Europe.

Washed Out
Purple Noon

Tracklisting:
1. Too Late
2. Face Up
3. Time to Walk Away
4. Paralyzed
5. Reckless Desires
6. Game of Chance
7. Leave You Behind
8. Don’t Go
9. Hide
10. Haunt

Washed Out’s “Hide,” a standout from Purple Noon, his acclaimed album of 2020, has been remixed by producer/DJ Amtrac, and is available now on all DSPs from Sub Pop.
 
Washed Out’s Ernest Greene says of the remix, “I’ve been a fan of Amtrac’s music for a long time as I’ve been DJing his music for years. I think his songs transcend a lot of other more obvious club music as at their core they are very emotionally resonant. I had a feeling he would reinvent “Hide” in this same way. He took a very insular and personal song and translated it into something that feels much more anthem-like - that is best shared by a large group of people on a dance floor. I can’t wait to play it at my next DJ gig…”
 
The anthemic new rework follows the remix of Purple Noon’s lead single “Too Late” by Puerto Rico’s Buscabulla, released earlier this summer.
 
Washed Out’s previously announced headline tour for 2022, will see Greene and longtime band members Dylan Lee and Cameron Gardener, take their incredible live show on the road beginning Monday, January 10th, 2022 in Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel runs through Saturday, February 12th, 2022, closing with a hometown show in Atlanta, GA at the Eastern. The tour will feature support from Ghostly International artists Brijean. For more information on tickets, please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.
 
Mon. Jan. 10 - Asheville, NC  - Orange Peel*
Tue. Jan. 11 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl*                      
Thu. Jan. 13 - Houston, TX - Stereo Live*
Fri. Jan. 14 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room*
Sat. Jan. 15 - Dallas, TX - The Granada Theatre*
Mon. Jan. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren*
Tue. Jan. 18 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory*              
Thu. Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern Theatre*
Fri. Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory*
Sat. Jan. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom*
Mon. Jan. 24 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom*
Tue. Jan. 25 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market*          
Thu. Jan. 27 - Boise, ID - El Korah Shrine*  
Fri. Jan. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Gallery*
Sat. Jan. 29 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre*     
Mon. Jan. 31 - Minneapolis, MN - USA - Fine Line Music Cafe*
Tue. Feb. 01 - Chicago, IL - Metro*
Thu. Feb. 03 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall*
Fri. Feb. 04 - Montreal, QC - L’Astral*
Sat. Feb. 05 - Boston, MA - Paradise*                                  
Mon. Feb. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel*                    
Wed. Feb. 09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club*
Thu. Feb. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts*
Fri. Feb. 11 -  Chapel Hill, NC - Cat’s Cradle*
Sat. Feb. 12 - Atlanta GA - The Eastern*
* w/ Brijean
 
Washed Out’s Purple Noon features the singles “Too Late,” “Time to Walk Away,” and “Paralyzed,” was produced and recorded by Ernest Greene and mixed by Ben H. Allen in Atlanta, Georgia. Purple Noon is available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop and Washed Out’s official website, select independent retailers in North America, in the U.K. and Europe.

Washed Out
Purple Noon

Tracklisting:
1. Too Late
2. Face Up
3. Time to Walk Away
4. Paralyzed
5. Reckless Desires
6. Game of Chance
7. Leave You Behind
8. Don’t Go
9. Hide
10. Haunt

Today, Monday, August 9th marks the release of Washed Out’s “Sidney’s Lullaby” b/w “Miles’ Lullaby” and Porridge Radio’s cover of Wolf Parade’s “You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son,” available now on all DSPs.

The songs are from their contributions to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 6, which continues Sub Pop’s limited-edition, subscription-only 7” vinyl singles. While the vinyl editions are only available to Singles Club subscribers – which you can become via the Sub Pop Mega Mart! – the music can now be heard on all digital music services. If you want the 7”s, hurry up and subscribe, as the 1,000 available subscriptions are nearly sold-out.

For Washed Out’s (aka Ernest Greene) contribution, he recorded two very sweet, ambient lullabies named for his sons, Sidney and Miles. He offers this on the recording, “For me, the process of writing a traditional song (with verses, choruses, etc.) can be a very time-consuming practice.  There is always an initial feeling of excitement upon discovering an interesting chord progression or melody, but the nuts and bolts of actually seeing the song through until the end can be quite maddening.

“I love to offset this way of working by improvising short instrumental sketches simply for the fun of creating and I feel like this material often has a purity and spontaneity that is often missing in my more “produced” work.

“Much like every other musician who was forced to stop touring because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I spent a lot of time at home and because of quarantine measures spent more time with my two young children than I ever have before.  As any parent can tell you, it is an amazing experience seeing them discover the world around them and their minds are so pure, honest, and open. I thought these two instrumental sketches had a sweetness and playfulness about them that characterized certain aspects of their development during this time. I tried to capture both of their unique spirits but also the tenderness I feel for them as their father. 

“Perhaps these songs might come across as too personal or sentimental - like sharing an intimate family photograph with a stranger.  However, I hope that listeners might think back to their own childhoods and how it felt to have such an innocent view of the world around you.”

Washed Out recently announced a headlining North American tour for late winter 2022. For up to date information on tickets please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.


Porridge Radio’s cover of “You Are A Runner…,” the Wolf Parade fan favorite, is the A-side to their contribution to Sub Pop Singles Club (and follows the release of their cover of The Shins’ “New Slang,” its B-side, late last month).
Porridge Radio’s Dana Margolin had this to say, “Sub Pop are a label I’ve loved for a long time, and when they asked if we wanted to release some songs with them this summer, I looked through their back catalog and chose 2 songs to cover that had a big impact on me as a teenager.”

Beginning as Margolin’s sadcore bedroom project, Porridge Radio developed into an idiosyncratic post-punk 4-piece after she moved to Brighton and met her future bandmates. They inelegantly knot together Margolin’s vicious, furious emotional outpourings with beautiful pop melodies. After a series of demos, and the growing legend of their intense live shows, their lofty debut Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers came out via Memorials of Distinction in 2016, documenting struggles with life, love and boredom, and showcases the scrapbook absurdism at Porridge Radio’s core.
 
The band’s 2020 Secretly Canadian debut, Every Bad, is a culmination of what has been in their head for some time. Every Bad arrived full of grand, sweeping ambition – with vocals so urgent that it often feels like it is moved by compulsion rather than choice, with all the rawness of early Karen O, and influences as disparate as Charli XCX and The Cranberries. After receiving wide critical acclaim across the board, Every Bad was shortlisted as one of the Hyundai Mercury Prize’s albums of 2020.
 
Porridge Radio’s updated international tour schedule now runs August 2021 through June 2022. Please visit the band’s tour dates page for more info. https://porridgeradio.com/tour

Washed Out is announcing North American headlining dates for 2022 in support of Purple Noon, his acclaimed album of 2020, out now on Sub Pop.
 
The 24-city trek begins Monday, January 10th, 2022 in Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel runs through Saturday, February 12th, 2022, closing with a hometown show in Atlanta, GA at The Eastern. The tour will also include stops in Nashville (TN), Houston (TX), Austin (TX), Dallas (TX), Phoenix (AZ), San Diego (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Santa Ana (CA), San Francisco (CA), Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Salt Lake City (UT), Denver (CO), Minneapolis (MN), Chicago (IL), Toronto (ON), Montreal (QC), Boston (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Washington (DC), Philadelphia (PA), Chapel Hill (NC).

A special fan presale begins Wednesday, July 7th, 2021 at 12 pm PT and ends Thursday, July 8th at 10 am PT, with tickets on sale to the general public on Friday, July 9th, 2021 at 7 am PT. For more information on tickets, please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.
 
Mon. Jan. 10 - Asheville, NC  - Orange Peel
Tue. Jan. 11 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl           
Thu. Jan. 13 - Houston, TX - Stereo Live
Fri. Jan. 14 - Austin, TX - Empire
Sat. Jan. 15 - Dallas,  TX - The Granada Theatre
Mon. Jan. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Tue. Jan. 18 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory               
Thu. Jan. 20 - Los Angeles,  CA - The Wiltern Theatre
Fri. Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
Sat. Jan. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency                 
Mon. Jan. 24 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tue. Jan. 25 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market 
Fri. Jan. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Gallery
Sat. Jan. 29 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre      
Mon. Jan. 31 - Minneapolis, MN - USA - Fine Line
Tue. Feb. 01 - Chicago, IL - Metro    
Thu. Feb. 03 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Theatre
Fri. Feb. 04 - Montreal, QC - L’Astral
Sat. Feb. 05 - Boston, MA - Paradise                        
Mon. Feb. 07 - Brooklyn, NY  - Brooklyn Steel                                 
Wed. Feb. 09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Thu. Feb. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
Fri. Feb. 11 -  Chapel Hill, NC  - Cat’s Cradle
Sat. Feb. 12 - Atlanta GA - The Eastern

 
Washed Out is also sharing a remix of Purple Noon standout “Too Late” by Ribbon Music recording artists Buscabulla. The Puerto Rican pop duo takes the original, which New York Times notes for its “lush vocals, quavering synth bass, throwback electronic drums and an intense sense of longing,” and reworks the song into a blissed-out, electro-funk track. The Washed Out “Too Late” (Buscabulla Remix) is out today on all DSPs from Sub Pop.

 
Washed Out’s Purple Noon features the singles “Too Late,” “Time to Walk Away,” and “Paralyzed,” was produced and recorded by Ernest Greene and mixed by Ben H. Allen in Atlanta, Georgia. Purple Noon is available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop and Washed Out’s official website, select independent retailers in North America, in the U.K., and Europe.

Sub Pop is thrilled to announce that Washed Out, Hand Habits, Porridge Radio, and TV Priest will soon release singles as part of the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 6. These talented artists join John Waters, Jeff Tweedy, LIDS, Duma, BNH Deluxe, Sheltered Workshop Singers, and more TBA in the 2021-2022 incarnation of Sub Pop’s legendary subscription-only series of limited-edition 7” singles (now with accompanying digital releases, because it’s the 21st century). Fans can – and should! – secure their copies of all twelve Singles Club Vol. 6 singles by subscribing now at the Sub Pop Mega Mart. Act fast – subscriptions are limited to 1,000 and going fast!