SEATTLE RHYTHM & BLUES BAND THE DIP ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, LOVE DIRECTION, DUE OUT ON JULY 12, 2024 VIA DUALTONE
TITLE TRACK AND ACCOMPANYING VISUAL OUT TODAY
BAND EMBARKS ON HEADLINING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR THIS FALL
“remarkably satisfying updated takes on soul and R&B…brilliant” —Americana Highways
“For those who think the finer days of brass, rock, jazz and funk are behind us, be schooled by The Dip.” —Entertainment Today
“What Silk Sonic have done with 70’s R&B and soul, The Dip do for the 50’s and 60’s versions of those genres…The Dip shine as a musical unit, showing off immaculate production and crisp arrangements that sound timeless.” —The Indy Review
(April 9, 2024) Six-piece Rhythm and Blues band The Dip announce the release of their expansive and lush forthcoming album, Love Direction, on July 12, 2024, via Dualtone Records. The album is the group’s fourth full-length, and the signature interplay of old and new is on full display throughout. The result is a dynamic 11-song collection that showcases the band’s distinctive driving sound alongside moments of introspection and nuance laid bare. Despite the title, this latest record isn’t a collection of straightforward love songs, but an investigation into the different angles and challenges that relationships can bring.
Guitarist/vocalist Tom Eddy says, “These aren’t ‘love songs’ in the most obvious sense. They deal with the middle stages, the hinterlands of love and life together – figuring someone out and what they need, learning how to communicate, and examining your own faults. We set out to write music that felt more grown, a little wiser. The songs that emerged all pointed in the Love Direction.”
The title track and the accompanying video are available today. Eddy’s familiarly funky guitar line gives way to a wash of atmospheric flute trills on the track. Echoing whistles in the song’s breaks contribute to a sense of spacious loneliness as Eddy’s lyrics investigate the winding road of partnerships.
He says of the song’s inspiration: “As you get further along in a relationship, sometimes you lose your way. The things that came easy in the beginning get hard. The love is still there, it’s just that people and life are complicated. Sometimes you don’t have the tools in the toolbox to figure out what you need to do to support the other person, so you have to get help and ask for directions.”
Watch the video, directed by Jake Magraw, below. Magraw collaborated with the band to create a stunning collection of videos to augment the album’s sound. This video is a first look at the larger cinematic work.
Stream/get “Love Direction” single and pre-order the album here
Of the music video’s inspiration, drummer Jarred Katz remarked: “We all love checking out old videos, whether it’s amazing jazz musicians or soul musicians or watching stuff on Prestige TV. There is this amazing footage we don’t get to see often. It’ll be on YouTube from the 1950s. We’re into that kind of stuff and will share it with each other. We found this really cool video of Wes Montgomery playing in London with his quartet and we noticed how beautiful that stage they created was. We were thinking about how, back in the day, sets were more common in videos and there were different types of production. It was more about what people could build with their hands and by using their imaginations as opposed to computers – we were really drawn to that.”
Additionally, The Dip have announced a 22-date, headlining North American Tour, kicking off on October 16th in Portland, OR, and wrapping up in their hometown of Seattle for the final two shows on November 16 and 17. Tickets go on sale Friday, 4/12, at 10 am local. Full dates are below.
The Dip is known for its poignant songwriting, detailed arrangements, and vintage sound. Featuring a three-piece horn section, the group’s music harkens back to earlier soul and funk influences while hinting at the jazz foundations that brought the band’s members together. Along with singer and guitarist Eddy, bassist Mark Hunter and drummer Jarred Katz are equally at home in a tight-pocketed groove as they are spacious free-improvisation. Trumpet player Brennan Carter and saxophonists Evan Smith and Levi Gillis serve as the band’s melodic counterpoint, playing off Eddy’s vocals to create a distinct sonic character that has drawn in millions of listeners to date. Love Direction is the follow-up to 2022’s Sticking With It, which landed at #1 on the Billboard Current R&B Albums Chart. The Dip has over 200m career streams and has appeared at festivals such as Bourbon and Beyond, High Water, Bonnaroo, and more.
The Dip Tour Dates:
April 13 / Bentonville, AR – The Momentary *
April 14 / Little Rock, AR – The Hall *
April 16 / Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live *
April 17 / Birmingham, AL – Iron City *
April 18 / Chattanooga, TN – The Signal *
April 19 / Charleston, SC – High Water Festival Pre-Party at Music Farm *
April 20 / North Charleston, SC – High Water Festival
April 23 / Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore Miami Beach +
April 24 / Orlando, FL – The Social ^
April 25 / Savannah, GA – The Park at Eastern Wharf $
April 26 / Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy +
April 27 / Winston-Salem, NC – Ramkat ^
April 28 / Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion +
May 4 / Bend, OR – RendezVan Festival
June 7 / Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre +
June 9 / Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre +
June 14 / Denver, CO – The WhiskyX at Wings Over The Rockies
August 7 / Lewes, DE – Rocking The Dock Music Series
August 8 / Lancaster, PA – Tellus360
August 11 / Portland, ME – Guster’s On The Ocean
August 13 / Nantucket, MA – The Chicken Box
August 14 / Nantucket, MA – The Chicken Box
August 15 / New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
September 21 / Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival
[Just Added Dates Below]
October 16 / Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom #
October 18 / San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore #
October 19 / Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether #
October 20 / Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre #
October 23 / Austin, TX – Scoot Inn &
October 24 / Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall &
October 25 / Dallas, TX – Granada Theater &
October 27 / Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl &
October 29 / Washington, DC – 9:30 Club %
October 30 / Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer %
November 1 / Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues %
November 2 / New York, NY – Webster Hall %
November 3 / New York, NY – Webster Hall %
November 6 / Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall %
November 8 / Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall %
November 9 / Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall %
November 10 / Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue %
November 12 / Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater %
November 13 / Denver, CO – The Ogden Theatre %
November 14 / Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room %
November 16 / Seattle, WA – The Showbox %
November 17 / Seattle, WA – The Showbox %
* with support from Jeremie Albino
^ with support from Eddie 9V
+ supporting The Teskey Brothers
$ with support from The Psycodelics
# with support from Meernaa
& with support from Parlor Greens
% with support from Jordan Mackampa
