Luke Sital-Singh Shares Details Of New Album ‘Dressing Like A Stranger’ (Out September 2 via Nettwerk Records)
March 4, 2022 BY Penny Palmer
Luke Sital-Singh announces details of a new album, Dressing Like A Stranger, and shares a new single, “California.” The LA-based Londoner’s fourth album and debut with new label Nettwerk Records, Dressing Like A Stranger, will be released on September 2. Sital-Singh will return to Europe in March to support Passenger on his extensive European tour.
Following previous singles “Me & God” and “Blind Missiles” (“If you’re searching for empathy in an increasingly polarized world, ‘Blind Missiles’ will strike a chord” Songwriting Magazine), “California” rides a steady beat and glassy riff towards a warm hook bathed in SoCal sunshine. “The lyrics reflect on the way I live in L.A. compared to the U.K. I thought I would feel different, but I didn’t. I’m the same dude – just wearing shorts more often,” laughs Luke.
Watch The Official Music Video For “California” HERE:
The follow-up to 2019’s A Golden State (“…abounds in the chords and textures of classic West Coast songwriting, with nods to Springsteen,” The Sunday Times), which preceded his move to Los Angeles, Dressing Like A Stranger was written and recorded in the Golden State, with Luke initially working alone at home in Los Feliz as COVID-19 descended upon the world. He later rented a studio and cut a few songs by himself before enlisting fellow Brit and singer-songwriter Dan Croll as co-producer and Tchad Blake (Fiona Apple, The Black Keys, Elvis Costello) for mixing.
“I love collaboration,” reveals Luke. “When I started this album, I missed that part of the process. Dan enjoys the puzzle of music. He’ll have so many different versions of songs, whereas I’m more instinctual. It was nice to have Dan say, ‘We don’t need this!’ Dan saw the music from a bird’s eye view, maintained the momentum, figured out the puzzle, and pushed me to do more takes than I would’ve alone.”
The purchase of a rubber-bridge guitar opened up the songwriting floodgates for Luke. He penned the title track “Dressing Like A Stranger” with the guitar and embraced it as a creative north star. “‘Dressing Like A Stranger’ was the first song I wrote, and it unlocked the whole album,” he recalls. “The guitar has a very specific sound. I didn’t want to do another ‘singer-songwriter acoustic’ thing. My first album was a shiny pop record, the second album was rawer, and my third album was more lyrical. The sound of the guitar was how I felt now.”
It’s a decade since Luke Sital-Singh released his debut single “Fail For You,” introducing the world his rare ability to craft songs rich in empathy and emotional resonance. These qualities have garnered him an impressive worldwide fanbase and seen his songs rack up almost 150 million Spotify streams. In 2018, Luke was invited to give a TED Talk at the official TED conference in Vancouver, where he spoke about the cathartic effect of writing and performing ‘sad’ songs, a theme that runs throughout his work.
“I’m moved by sad music,” explains Luke. “It makes something beautiful out of something painful. It allows listeners to realize they’re not alone. I’m at a confusing age where I don’t know if I’m doing the right things in my life. I just know I’m Luke, and I made an album.”
“California” is available at all digital retailers here: https://lukesital-singh.ffm.to/california. To presave the album, click here: https://lukesital-singh.ffm.to/dressinglikeastranger.
Dressing Like A Stranger Track List:
01 Dressing Like A Stranger
02 Blind Missiles
03 California
04 Rather Be
05 Can’t Get High
06 Me & God
07 All Night Stand
08 Summer Somewhere
09 Forever Endeavour
10 Wiser Too
11 The Walk
European Tour Dates with Passenger:
August 24 Dublin, Vicar Street
August 25 Belfast, Ulster Hall
August 27 Amsterdam, AFAS Live
August 28 Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria
August 30 Barcelona, Razzmatazz
August 31 Madrid, Sala La Riviera
September 2 Paris, Le Trianon
September 3 Brussels, Cirque Royal – Koninklijk Circus
September 6 Milan, Fabrique
September 7 Munich, TonHalle München
September 9 Zurich, Volkshaus
September 11 Vienna, Globe Wien
September 12 Krakow, Klub Studio
September 14 Berlin, Astra Kulturhaus
September 15 Hamburg, Fabrik
September 18 Copenhagen, VEGA
September 20 Gothenburg, Trädgår‘n
September 21 Oslo, Sentrum Scene
