BUTCHER BROWN SHARES SINGLE TODAY “UNWIND” FEAT. MELANIE CHARLES
BUTCHER BROWN SHARES SINGLE TODAY
“UNWIND” FEAT. MELANIE CHARLES
OUT NOW
NATIONAL TOUR BEGINS ON RELEASE DAY
This Friday, Butcher Brown releases their new album, Letters From The Atlantic via Concord Jazz. Today, the group releases a final anticipatory single, “Unwind” featuring Melanie Charles. Previous singles leading up to the album include “Dinorah Dinorah,” “Ibiza,” and “Montrose Forest. ”The Virginia-bred collective’s new album offers a seamless blend of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, soul, bossa nova and more. The new record moves toward an indie groove, with a formidable female presence including Yaya Bey, Melanie Charles, Leanor Wolf, Mia Gladstone, Victoria Victoria, along with Nicholas Payton & Neal Francis. “We’re fans of all of them,” the band says. “They bring a real harmony and chemistry to the new album.”
The group shared some words about “Unwind”:
“‘Unwind’ was a very impromptu, almost improvised piece in the studio that leans into drum and bass and house idioms within acid jazz. We’ve been meaning to collaborate with Melanie Charles for a minute. There’s such a level of versatility with anything she touches – her ear is crazy. She immediately knew what to do with “Unwind” and just exploded all over that track on vocals and flute. We’re blown away by the outcome of this song.”
Listen to “Unwind” HERE/ view the visualizer HERE Preorder/save Letters From The Atlantic HERE
Following the group’s critically acclaimed Solar Music (2023), Letters From The Atlantic takes listeners on a musical journey through destinations and influences from the Chesapeake Bay to New York, down the East Coast to Florida and overseas in Europe. “We want this full record to feel like you’re floating on a trip – it’s taking you on a journey, and you can determine what each song reminds you of. It’s a story of everything we listen to, capturing nostalgia for Virginia, the East Coast and overseas. We’re pulling sounds from across the Atlantic” says the band. “Seagulls” kicks off the record close to home, evoking peaceful vibes by the water on Virginia Beach. A song like “Unwind” feat. Melanie Charles is straight up Avenue C, Lower East Side in New York with those downtown feels. “Something New About You” with Neal Francis gets into yacht rock down in the Keys. Then “Hold You” gives a chill resonance, like you’re on a train in Europe on the other side of the ocean. Ending with “Infant Eyes” wraps up the journey with an instrumental stamp on the record that’s a homage to Wayne Shorter, giving him his flowers as a player and composer that the band looks up to.
Butcher Brown recorded Letters From The Atlantic with Alex De Jong at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond over the course of a few sessions last summer. The album draws from their collective love of disco, house music, Bossa, DnB (drum and bass), trip hop, drill and acid jazz. A strong female presence elevates a lot of the album this time around. Voices like Mia Gladstone, Victoria Victoria and Leanor Wolf bring a real harmony and chemistry to the new album.
“Our session with Yaya Bey was special because she came down to Richmond – we sat down and chopped it up for hours before recording together. You can feel that family energy on ‘I Remember,’ like laid back kicking it at a barbeque on the Fourth of July,” the band explains. “That’s the important part about being in person for sessions is you just want to vibe with the person. We’re more concerned with that than anything, and it comes across on that song.”
The nuance is turned up on Letters From The Atlantic. Progressively through their studio albums, Butcher Brown is finding less potent ways to get their point across. Whereas Solar Music had angular edges and rougher drums, this album is more laid back, comfortable and intentional.
“Whatever happens with us in the band, it won’t be forced,” Burrs says. “That’s the attitude we carry with us. We’re going to make the art that we actually resonate with — and whatever happens outside of that, it’ll all be built off of.” Letter received.
2025 BUTCHER BROWN TOUR DATES
March 29 – Chicago, IL – SPACE
April 2 – Boston, MA – Brighton
April 4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
April 5 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
April 11 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
April 12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
April 18 – Portland, OR – The Get Down
April 19 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge
April 20 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
April 22 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
April 23 – Salt lake City, UT – State Room
April 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
April 27 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa
April 29 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
April 30 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theatre
Praise for Butcher Brown:
“The ‘solar music’ Butcher Brown brought to Tiny Desk was hot and funky from the count-in.”
– NPR Music
"A spirit of generous communion runs through 'Solar Music'"
– The New York Times
“The jazz/funk/hip-hop/rock/everything-but-the-kitchen-sink quintet is respected across the genre spectrum, by musicians and fans alike."
– The Washington Post
“Solar Music is a leather-smooth guided tour through a rip in spacetime”
– The FADER
"Butcher Brown applies the harmonic and melodic sophistication of jazz to the textural and rhythmic conventions of hip-hop with impressive results."
– Bandcamp
