Bambara share the second single to be taken from their fifth album Birthmarks set for release on 14th March on longtime label home Wharf Cat Records in North America and Bella Union in the rest of the world. The track ‘Letters To Sing Sing’ is accompanied by a video directed by Jason Miller that echoes the narrative of the song. Commenting on the track and video Bambara vocalist Reid Bateh shares:
“This song is a series of letters from the narrator to another character in the album’s story, Elena, whose boyfriend he murdered. He’s telling her about his attempts to persuade the court to reinstate the practice of execution—specifically for him. He believes that if he can persuade them, he will be able to see her one last time, convinced that her intense anger and thirst for vengeance will drive her to attend his execution. We were lucky to finally collaborate with visionary director and fellow Athens, GA expat, Jason Miller. The central character, Elena, is portrayed by Wife Erath in a captivating performance.”
Birthmarks is a reincarnation of sorts for the trio — Twin brothers Reid (vocals) and Blaze Bateh (drums), alongside childhood friend William Brookshire (bass) — altogether. Five years removed from Stray, and three from their 2022 EP Love On My Mind, Birthmarks inevitably arrives with the weight of a new chapter after a lengthy absence. Long ago having established their brand of magnetic darkness — equally formed by the grit of their adopted New York City home and the mysterious corners of the Georgian swamps that raised them — Bambara found themselves in a period of slow, laborious evolution. Birthmarks emerges directly from the band’s favoured aesthetics and themes but captures them with a new sense of sonic adventurousness and thematic subtlety, resulting in a collection of songs that are somehow both the band’s most apocalyptic and most poignant.
Bambara Live Dates
April
16 – FR, Nantes – Stereolux
18 – NL, Tilburg – Roadburn Festival
19 – LU, Esche – Out Of The Crowd Festival
22 – UK, Brighton – Komedia
23 – UK, Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
24 – UK, Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
25 – UK, Glasgow – Room 2
26 – UK, Salford – The White Hotel
28 – UK, Bristol – The Fleece
29 – UK, London – The Garage
May
1 – BE, Brussels – AB Club
2 – NL, Groningen – Vera
3 – DE, Hamburg – Molotow
6 – SE, Stockholm – Bar Brooklyn
7 – NO, Oslo – Blä
9 – DK, Copenhagen – Loppen
10 – DE, Berlin – Lido
12 – DE, Munich – Ampere
13 – DE, Cologne – Helios 37
14 – FR, Reims – La Cartonnerie
15 – FR, Paris – La Maroquinerie
For more details on Bambara please check their facebook and instagram.
