“An endlessly surprising endeavor… that constantly veers from the trails of presumption and into a wilderness entirely of its own creation.” – The FADER
“If it sounds complex and unpredictable, that’s because it is. It’s also excellent.” – The Face
“Nutzman’s vocals fluctuate between a choppy Reggae-inspired delivery and a smooth, enveloping melody. The juxtaposition of man and machine is transfixing.” – Afropunk
Whilst currently on tour supporting Tame Impala, Minneapolis-born R&B experimentalist Velvet Negronitoday shares his new single & video ‘KURT KOBAIN’ – taken from his forthcoming debut album NEON BROWN out Friday 30 August via 4AD / Remote Control.
On ‘KURT KOBAIN’, Velvet Negroni – the alter-ego of creative polymath Jeremy Nutzman – finds himself in new territory. Where ‘CONFETTI’ and ‘WINE GREEN’ both float through a blues-y slow jam space, ‘KURT KOBAIN’ shifts gear with bass-heavy uptempo funk, eighties synth pops and flashes ofNutzman’s hometown hero Prince. Twists like this are found throughout his forthcoming debut NEON BROWN, described in a recent FADER profile as an album that “sounds like nothing else released this year”. To compliment ‘KURT KOBAIN’, the track is paired with visuals that resemble an extraterrestrial encounter. The creative director and executive producer behind the video is frequent collaborator and co-producer of NEON BROWN, Elliott Kozel. The video was directed by Ryan Kron Thompson (Bon Iver, Lizzo).
Raised in an outer suburb of the Twin Cities, Jeremy Nutzman – a black kid adopted into a white evangelical Christian family – split his formative years between classical piano lessons and late night jam sessions. A duality that permeates every corner of his music, with forthcoming album NEON BROWNthriving in the borderlands between indie rock and R&B. Having already notched writing credits for Kanye West and Kid Cudi, plus a forthcoming feature on Bon Iver’s new album, Velvet Negroni will spend this month touring with Tame Impala, including two nights at Madison Square Garden.