Charleston, South Carolina's hottest band, Doom Flamingo, have announced their highly anticipated new EP, Flamingo. Led by lead singer Kanika Moore, the group is eager to get their latest collection of new music out into the world before they hit the road for a slew of tour dates this summer.
Fans of Doom Flamingo will be delighted to know that the new EP serves as a dance floor ready alter ego to their 2020 Doom EP—a dark synth-wave-inspired collection. The band began recording Flamingo before the pandemic, and tracks like "Untraditional" (listen/share) and "Hot Wheels" (listen/share) showcase the group's evocative ability to transport listeners to another world entirely.
Though the group sounds like no one else, they take inspiration from a wide array of artists, which makes Flamingo a thrilling listen. The band points to Daft Punk, Whitney Houston, and Tina Turner (listen/share their rendition of "The Best") as main touchstones, but one of the chief inspirations for the EP is Michelle Obama. The band even wrote "Michelle" (listen/share) in her honor.
"'Michelle' is a song dedicated to the women that exhibit love, intelligence, and charisma because it feels good to deposit positive energy and be fed with the same," explains Moore. "I'm inspired by Michelle Obama."
The group channels that same power throughout Flamingo. Instrumentalist Ross Bogan dove into the keyboard sounds of your parents' favorite '80s guilty pleasure hits. Building sounds from keys scored from Craigslist, Bogan decided to up the ante in the nostalgia apartment and chase unabashed fun.
Other members Thomas Kenney, Mike Quinn, Ryan Stasik, and Stu White agree that fun was the main objective here. Stasik says the project makes him want to lace up a pair of roller skates and head on down to the boardwalk, while White gets similarly beachy vibes, wanting to take the EP into his car as he drives top down to the ocean.
Despite this hedonistic chase of fun, though, the group stays vigilant in their message of justice and equity. The EP continues to push back on the mainstream views on societal norms and sexuality, offering an alternate worldview in which every individual should be allowed to live as who they view themselves to be. Throughout Flamingo, the group pushes forward the notion that people deserve to be confident in their beliefs, even if they're outside the traditional values pushed upon us.
What makes Doom Flamingo so special is their ability to blend these deeply felt philosophies on culture, sexuality, and human rights, while still having a rip-roaring good time. This must be credited, in part, to their unbelievable live show and Kanika's otherworldly stage persona. The band is one of the best live acts currently going, and they’ll be bringing their new EP, co-produced by Matt Zutell at his Charleston studio Coast Records to a handful of select cities in the coming months (see dates below).
From song to song, project to project, Doom Flamingo likes to keep their fans guessing. The only threads that ties their vision together are respect and a good time. The themes are serious, but the music makes you want to shake your ass. It's a perfect balance for our broken world, in which everything is black or white, this or that. Doom Flamingo bring everything to the table, and they want you to try it all.
DOOM FLAMINGO
Tour Dates:
July 1 - Isle of Palms, SC - Windjammer
July 3 - Scranton, PA - Peach Festival
August 19-21 - Chillicothe, IL - Summer Camp
September 9 - Austin, TX - Antone's
September 10 - Houston, TX - Bronze Peacock
September 11 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum
September 16 - Masontown, WV - Resonance Marvin’s Mountaintop
September 18 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
October 9 - Port Chester, NY - Garcia's @ The Capitol Theater
December 4-8 - Puerto Morelos, Mexico - Holidaze