Plàsi’s Beautiful And Reflective New Album ‘Foreign Sea’ Out Today (Via Nettwerk Records)
February 4, 2022 BY Jason Currell
Out today, Plàsi’s beautiful new album Foreign Seais a journey with the singer-songwriter to a place where one can reflect on “the world we live in, and what actually matters.” Writing gentle pop songs in the tradition of nylon-string pluckers before him (like Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Hollow Coves, George Ogilvie, and Cat Stevens), Plàsi used the shift in perspective to push his music to a new realm. Foreign Sea is available to listen here: https://plasi.ffm.to/foreignsea.
To coincide with the album release, Plàsi has shared a majestic and moving video for the title track, directed by award-winning filmmaker Maxime Beauchamp. Watch it HERE and below.
When it came time to lay these new songs down, Plàsi teamed up with Linus Hasselberg and Hannes Hasselberg, the talented Swedish brothers who also helmed the ship on the last two EPs Mystery and Where I Belong. And after getting prepped over Zoom, the trio made plans to record the album in two sessions that would merge Plàsi’s disparate roots: one taking place in Sweden, the other in Greece. “I always wanted to do an album like that,” Plàsi explains. “And I’m stubborn, so I wanted to see it through.”
Adhering to international guidelines and working carefully to keep the group small and the process safe, Plàsi and the Hasselberg brothers recorded an initial session on the scenic island of Gotland in Sweden and then reconvened soon after on the historic region of Peloponnese in Greece. In both places, they set up “pop-up” studios in cozy homes, capturing the unique sounds of their locations: “It was quite the simple set up,” Plàsi says. “We had good microphones, and we had a good room.”
Plàsi handled guitars and vocals, Linus added strings and brass, and Hannes contributed keyboard, piano, and percussion—an inspired musical world-building up between the three of them. And then in Greece, three local musicians joined to add even more texture: Yvonne Melissa on violin, Christos Anastasiadis on clarinet and bagpipe, and Tasos Kofodimos on laouto, a traditional Greek instrument. “We had some beautiful days together,” says Plàsi.
2022 Plàsi Tour Dates (with Axel Flòvent):
To purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.plasimusic.com/tour
08.09.22 SE-Stockholm – Röda Paradise
10.09.22 NO-Oslo – Cafe Langs Akerselva
12.09.22 DK-Copenhagen – Ideal Bar
13.09.22 DE-Hamburg – Bahnhof Pauli
14.09.22 DE-Berlin – Berghain Kantine
15.09.22 DE-Köln – Artheater
16.09.22 NL-Amsterdam – Melkweg
18.09.22 CH-Zürich – Papiersaal
21.09.22 DE-Leipzig – Neues Schauspiel
Album Artwork | Press Photo (credit: Amanda Gylling)
Foreign Sea Track Listing:
1. Foreign Sea
2. Under My Skin
3. 14 Days
4. My Dear
5. How Do You Know (w/ Aisha Badru)
6. I Wish You Heard Me
7. Far from Home
8. Missing Faith
9. Chasing the Sun
10. All Alone
11. One Last Night (w/ Rosemary & Garlic)
12. Love
13. Until Midnight
About Plàsi: Having spent his life bouncing back and forth between Sweden and Greece, the native countries of his parents, Plàsi (aka Mikael Bitzarakis) was not thrilled about the idea of staying locked inside for months on waiting for the pandemic to end. But with the borders closed, he had to get creative. So, he set sail into the ocean of his creation to find inspiration. Since his debut EP Now & Then, his music has made waves in the global folk scene with its natural beauty and romantic charm, earning 65-million combined streams and a loyal live following. With the latest recordings (Nettwerk Records), Plàsi has decided to use his new personal escape as the setting for his most ambitious project yet. A semi-concept album of sorts – a journey to a place where one can reflect on “the world we live in, and what matters.” Writing gentle pop songs in the tradition of nylon-string pluckers like Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Hollow Coves, George Ogilvie and Cat Stevens, Plàsi used the shift in perspective to push his music to a new realm.
