Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we’ve come to expect from EMA’s patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. The album is scheduled to release on 3/26/21 via Big Crown Records.
Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time—with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season.
Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: “When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together.” And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: “Zaharila,” “Murkit Gem,” and “Dhuaan.” Each providing particular signatures to the album. “Zaharila” is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya’s pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat “Murkit Gem” opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya’s stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya’s changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed “Dhuaan” on to the second single from Yeti Season.
The green variant vinyl of the album is only available in the deluxe box set and its details are below. You can pre-order a copy HERE.
Limited Edition Big Crown Deluxe Box Set includes:
– Opaque Green colored LP.
– 50 page children’s book inspired by the album. Written by Francine Prose and illustrated by Omar “El Oms” Juarez.
– Companion Little Crown / Big Crown 45 pressed on blue vinyl. 7″ features non-album cut “It’s Yeti Season” with Malena Ruiz-Michels reading the book over a track by El Michels Affair & The Shacks.
– All of this comes in a collectable box set.
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