We here at Backseat Mafia have been enthusiastic followers of talented bassist, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Crumble over the years, and we are honoured to premiere the atmospheric new single and video for the track ‘Again, On The Road’, ahead of his new EP ‘P.S.’, due out on 8 February 2024 via Switch Hit Records.
‘Again, On The Road’ is an instrumental that has an ethereal atmospheric tone, awash with slapping bass and a cascade of synths and percussion that flows like a waterfall. A glitchy, fuzzy riff plays at the edges while the synths provide a shimmering and sparkling filigree on the canvas. The overall effect is that of restless movement and anticipation, a kind of anxious, nervous energy.
Like the rest of the EP, the sounds on the track were born from Crumbly’s serendipitous purchase of a Yamaha PSR-12, a 49-key synthesizer dating back to the late 1980s. Though used at times by such legends as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and George Duke, the instrument felt almost toy-like in its portability and ease of accessibility. Crumbly says:
It was probably marketed as a toy piano in its time but it had all these drum presets and cool sounds and it was only 40 bucks, so I bought it. That’s how this project started – I used the electronic drum presets and the songs came to me fairly quickly. It was a lot of fun.
The track is accompanied by a mesmerising video with immersive visual imagery by finnamilism that maintains that sense of forward movement, travel and discovery:
‘P.S.’ is out on 8 February 2024 and available to pre-save here. Crumbly says of the EP:
I was thinking of the stages of life and the experiences within it, even the stages of a day itself. Most beginnings tend to be so youthful and innocent, but we can become so easily weighed down by the journey. I’ve come to realize that each and every stage is a beautiful one in its own way, but I find that getting back to a youthful outlook–taking steps to get back to the beginning–may be the way to enjoy things the most.
‘P.S’ features collaborations from members of Swedish Pop band Little Dragon, as well as Samora Pinderhughes and Michael Rocketship.
You can catch Crumbly live launching the EP on 22 February 2024 at the Sultan Room in New York – details below.
Crumbly grew up in Palmdale, CA, a small desert community outside of Los Angeles. He knew the bass was his calling after he started accompanying his Dad, a saxophonist, to gigs at the age of three. He went on to study with Victor Bailey (Madonna, Weather Report), Al Mckibbon (Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie), and later Ron Carter at the prestigious Juilliard School. By the end of his first year at Juilliard, he was recruited to join Terence Blanchard’s Quintet in which he first toured internationally, later going on to record, tour and collaborate with artists such as Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, Stefon Harris, Anthony Wilson, Cautious Clay and Bob Dylan
Feature Photograph: Lauren Morgan
