Júníus Meyvant & The Floating Harmonies Return with First Single from Sophomore Album across the borders "High Alert" (Record Records)
The Witzard previously deemed Júníus Meyvant as "Iceland's Answer to Aloe Blacc-helmed Soul-Funk Revival" and his debut, Floating Harmonies, even topped The Witzard's Best of 2016 Countdown: A Genre-defying List of 30 Albums, EP's & Mixtapes Worth Re-visiting (or Ch-checking Out) Before 2017 year-end list. At the time, I compared Meyvant's style to, and I quote myself, "an Icelandic Rod Stewart backed by a Mark Ronson-produced rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles or even something to the effect of critically-acclaimed Stones Throw New-Wop crooner, Mayer Hawthorne." Floating Harmonies was nothing short of phenomenal and now, Júníus Meyvant has returned with his proper follow-up, across the boarders. Since, the release of his critically-acclaimed debut, Meyvant has quietly unleashed a number of bonus tracks, left-overs, and B-sides including: "Mr. Minister Great," "Honey Babe, Don't Be Late," and "Underwater." Júníus Meyvant has noticeably been hard at work on its follow-up in recent months and even set up an interactive PLEDGEMUSIC page for then-mysteriously dubbed "Album 2."
Just this past week, Reykjavik-based imprint, Record Records, let loose Júníus Meyvant's latest single, "High Alert," from across the borders. Not entirely unlike Floating Harmonies, judging by "High Alert," Júníus Meyvant & The Floating Harmonies—his aptly-named band—are poised to usher in yet another album full of solid gold hits with across the borders. "The theme of the album lies in the title. Always being on the move, seeking a better life, and not being afraid of everyday tasks," explains Meyvant. "It is a mixture of self-awareness, self-pity, and self-control. Trying to be a better person, minute by minute. Trying to bury this ego we've all got and to also, understand why we have an ego and big dreams," Júníus Meyvant continued. Along with "High Alert," Júníus Meyvant announced Record Records will release his sophomore album with The Floating Harmonies, across the borders, on Friday, November 9th. Record Records are currently offering pre-orders for exclusive CD and Vinyl + MP3 packages. A few additional details were provided by Record Records within an on-site across the borders statement, which can now be read below.
"Recorded at the renowned Hljóðriti Studio on the outskirts of Reykjavik and engineered and mixed by Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson (Ásgeir, Erlend Oye, Hjálmar,) the richly orchestrated album embraces a wide palette of sounds and is awash with soulful, charming melodies. Throughout the 11 tracks, the natural warmth of Júníus Meyvant's unmistakable vocals are matched and heightened by a full string section and brass ensemble [The Floating Harmonies], creating a hearty wall of blissful sound. across the borders showcases the very finest of Júníus Meyvant's Freaky-Folk Pop."
- Record Records (@recordrecords)
