Rebelution – one of the most successful reggae bands of the 21st century – has dropped the official video for their latest single “2020 Vision” ft. buzzy Jamaican artist, Kabaka Pyramid (who was just announced as a special guest on the band’s summer tour) and produced by Calvin Valentine, from their recently released seventh studio album, In The Moment. PRESS HERE to watch the Yannick Reid directed visual and HERE to listen to/purchase the new album (out now via the band’s 87 Music label and NYC-based Easy Star Records). “‘2020 Vision’ is about embracing the haters out there,” says Eric Rachmany. “It's being prepared for any negativity and turning it back around and killing them with kindness.”
The band has released four previous singles from In The Moment including “Satisfied,” “Old School Feeling,” “Heavy As Lead,” and “All Or Nothing” ft. Jamaican dancehall star Busy Signal.
Up next, Rebelution will kick off their Good Vibes Summer Tour in Fresno, California on August 5 and weave their way throughout the US until October, making stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Asbury Park, New York City, Washington DC and more (full routing below). They will be joined by special guests Steel Pulse, Kabaka Pyramid, Keznamdi and DJ Mackle on select dates, and local CDC requirements will be followed. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting www.rebelutionmusic.com.
Recorded remotely in the midst of the pandemic, the band’s new album is deliberate and wide-ranging, infusing the quartet’s soulful, exhilarating brand of modern reggae with addictive pop hooks, alt-rock grit, and hip-hop grooves. The performances are bold and self-assured, and the production is equally ambitious, drawing on swirling reverb and trippy delay to create an immersive sonic universe that’s both futuristic and vintage all at once. Strip away the intoxicating atmospherics, though, and what remains is a work of profound reflection, a probing, revelatory meditation that balances joy and introspection in equal measure as the band contemplates the meaning of time and how to spend what precious little we have.
With COVID safety precautions preventing the band from gathering together and capturing the album live as they had in the past, Rebelution decided to record remotely from their respective homes around Southern California. Operating with a hub and spoke model centered around touring guitarist Kyle Ahern, who took the lead producing the collection and fleshing out many of its arrangements, the group pieced together tracks one layer at a time, carefully crafting each song from the ground up with a wide variety of electronic and analog sounds. In addition to all their collaborative work, each member of the band teamed up directly with Ahern to quarterback particular tunes throughout the process, putting their personal stamp on the ever-evolving Rebelution sound.
“We all worked together with Kyle to bring our individual visions to life,” said Rachmany. “We wanted to make this the most diverse sounding record we could.” That sonic diversity also gets a boost from the album’s all-star cast of special guests, which includes Jamaican artists Kabaka Pyramid, Keznamdi, and dancehall star Busy Signal, as well as American soul singer Durand Jones. Ultimately, though, the record is pure Rebelution, a powerhouse collection of songs that challenges our perceptions and pushes us to live each day to the fullest; inviting fans to sit back, slow down, and Live In The Moment.
