Superfan Announces Debut Album ‘Tow Truck Jesus’ Out 6/28; Shares Single “75 Germany”
April 5, 2024 BY Emma Orland
WATCH: https://youtu.be/wjf5JclKNeM
Superfan, the alias of Kali Flanagan, announces his debut album, Tow Truck Jesus out June 28th via Nettwerk. The album, written between the Falls of 2022 and 2023, comprises 11 intricate chronological songs that detail the journey of a young man’s coming of age. The new music features overdriven detuned guitars and Casio keyboards with a charming likeness to the intimate indie rock of the 2000s.
Superfan has been the driving force behind his music, serving as singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer simultaneously. For Tow Truck Jesus, he embraced a new approach, drawing inspiration from the challenges and feedback of former collaborator Tony Berg and working with producer Gabriel Wax (Soccer Mommy, Adrienne Lenker). He opted to restrict himself to a single instrument during the songwriting phase and gradually build out the songs. The results are raw and stripped-down songs that amplify his exceptional voice and lyrics, anchored by the levity of the album’s title, which stems from a shared jest between Flanagan and his father, Patrick, who joked that when the hitch of a tow truck is raised, it resembles a cross. Also of tantamount importance is Flanagan’s voice itself, which can be heard shifting throughout the record as Flanagan undergoes Hormone Replacement Therapy. As his voice settles into its gravelly lower register, you can hear him settle too into adulthood, along with his relationship to himself and love.
Alongside the album announcement, Superfan shares the second offering from the LP, “75 Germany,” signifying a deeper evolution into Kali’s musical persona and sonic landscape. The new single follows his previously released song “Sewn Up and Handsome,” which was written as he recovered from top surgery and is an unflinching rumination on both physical recovery and spiritual disjuncture. “75 Germany” blends sentimentality with a tinge of bittersweet as Flanagan weaves snippets of a conversation between his closest companion and a younger cousin from Belgium to contemplate the nature of relationships amidst inevitable change.
Superfan is also currently playing songs from the album with his full band in NYC with his residency at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn.
After changing his artist name from KALI and resetting his artistic trajectory, Superfan started a residency at L.A.’s historic Genghis Cohen, where he played barebones versions of what would become Tow Truck Jesus. His residency became an immediate scene as word spread that something special was happening with Flanagan and his budding project. Artist Nick Hakim and the Hellp’s Noah Dillon both attended, as did The Strokes’s Julian Casablancas, who was so taken by Flanagan’s mature artistry that he invited him to open for the band at Colorado’s most iconic venue: Red Rocks Amphitheatre. When Flanagan asked if he preferred him to organize a set with a band, Casablancas adamantly insisted on a solo acoustic performance, just as he had experienced it.
Listen to “75 Germany” above, see more album details below and stay tuned for more Superfan coming soon.
Upcoming Live Dates
*support to be announced the week of each show
4/4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Pete’s Candy Store*
5/2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Pete’s Candy Store*
Superfan
Tow Truck Jesus
Nettwerk
June 28, 2024
1. When You Come To LA
2. I’d Rather Hold Myself (Sometimes)
3. Over Under
4. Navy Blue
5. Sewn Up and Handsome
6. Your Desire in Food
7. Twilight Living
8. It’s Not the Worst I’ve Looked but the Most I’ve Cared About it
9. 75 Germany
10. Something’s On Your Mind
11. Everybody Rides The Carousel