WATCH / SHARE “BETTER’S ON THE WAY” TODAY HERE
DOWNTOWN EP SET FOR RELEASE TOMORROW
PRE-SAVE DOWNTOWN EP HERE
PRE-ORDER DOWNTOWN EP ON VINYL HERE
“One of my favourite guitarists has a new album out. Great songs with great changes and great playing” John Mayer
"He cannot be stopped. ...showing off not only his guitar playing but his songwriting" - Talia Schlanger (On CBC q)
“smooth, soulful... The expertly self-produced sound is a nice mixture of slide guitar, bass, and that popping percussion, with Ariel’s creamy vocals on top.” - Great Dark Wonder
Tomorrow, Ariel Posen’s new EP, Downtown, is available everywhere. The album is a collection of five songs that “I absolutely love, but didn't quite hear them on albums outside of one that could just keep them together in one,” says Posen.
Today, Posen is sharing the live performance video for “Better’s On The Way”, a song he says is “a reminder to keep a positive outlook on life.” “Perspective is everything,” he continues, “you have to stay the course and don't let yourself be distracted by the negativity. Even though this was written in the height of the pandemic, the idea of 'better's on the way' wasn't a reference to it, but more so past relationships and self growth. It's easy to sit in the moment and dwell in it, but having the constant reminder to keep looking ahead is what this song is all about.”
WATCH / SHARE “BETTER’S ON THE WAY” TODAY HERE
MORE ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN EP
Musically, Downtown explores some new territories which Posen felt “like there were some extremely exciting musical things happening. Therefore, it felt right to make the Downtown EP. I love each of these songs, and they really have a cohesiveness.”
WATCH / SHARE “BE ENOUGH” TODAY HERE
The album was recorded in the Summer and Fall of 2021 in Montreal, Winnipeg, and Norwich, UK, and then mixed in Los Angeles. “Although we were all afar when we recorded this project, I feel like we could not have been more in tune with each other and understood the assignment in serving these songs to bring a musical and lyrical theme to fruition,” says Posen.
WATCH / SHARE “DOWNTOWN” LYRIC VIDEO TODAY HERE
MORE ABOUT ARIEL POSEN
Ariel Posen's music occupies the space between genres. It's a rootsy sound that nods to his influences — heartland rock & roll, electrified Americana, blue-eyed soul, R&B, Beatles-inspired pop — while still moving forward, pushing Posen into territory that's uniquely his own.
Posen began recording his last album, Headway, in December 2019, one week after wrapping up an international tour in support of his acclaimed debut, How Long. He'd been on the road for a year and a half, playing shows across the U.K., Europe, America, and his native Canada. Along the way, Posen had received standing ovations not only from his audiences, but also from outlets like Rolling Stone, who dubbed him "a modern-day guitar hero," Music Radar listing him as a fan voted top 10 rock guitarist of the year and the Western Canadian Music Awards who nominated him for Breakout Artist of the Year."
WATCH / SHARE “ALWAYS SAW COMING” HERE
Coming back home to Winnipeg, he began sifting through the new songs he'd written between tour dates. Many of them had already been tested on the road, their arrangements whittled into shape by a group of road warriors at the top of their game. Practically all of them were about the process of evolution — of making progress in life, love, and all points in between. Those themes were reflected in the music itself, which presented a crisper, clearer picture of Posen as a songwriter.
DOWNTOWN EP TRACKLIST
01 Be Enough
02 Say It Again
03 Always Saw Coming
04 Downtown
05 Betters On The Way
TOUR DATES
July 28 - Boulder, CO - Dairy Arts Center
July 29 - Los Alamos, NM - Ashley Pond
July 30 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Aug 5 - Haapsalu, ES - Augustibluus Festival
Aug 18 - Westport, CT - Levitt Pavilion
Aug 19 - Waterbury Center, VT - Zenbarn
Aug 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
Aug 22 - Utica, NY - Levitt AMP
Aug 26 - Ontonogan, MI - Porcupine Mountain Festival
Aug 27 - Chicago, IL - Navy Pier
Aug 28 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
Aug 30 - Rockford, IL - Andersen Japanese Gardens
Sept 27 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast
Sept 28 - Ashington, UK - Whitehouse
Sept 29 - Derby, UK - The Flowerpot
Sept 30 - London, UK - Islington Academy
Oct 1 - Birmingham, UK - Institute 3
Oct 3 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
Oct 4 - Guildford, UK - Boileroom
Oct 5 - Nijmegen, NL - Doornroosje
Oct 6 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar
Oct 7 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown
Oct 8 - Utrecht, NL - Tivoli Vrendenburg
Oct 9 - Groningen, NL - Oosterpoort
Oct 11 - Cologne, DE - Jaki
Oct 12 - Copenhagen, DK - Amager Bio Beta
Oct 13 - Odense, DK - Dexter
Oct 14 - Hamburg, DE - Notchwache
Oct 15 - Berlin, DE - Privat Club
Photo Credit : Nate Forest // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
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