Diamond Thug are back with a sensual delight entitled “Purple Skies”. This release follows after enormous praise for their previous singles ‘The Woods’, ‘Empty Streets’, and ‘Backpush’ last year, which went onto receive love from Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music and landed on Spotify’s All New Indie and Indie Pop playlists. They are definitely South Africa’s ultimate dream-pop meets space-rock band.
As one of South Africa’s most streamed independent artists, Diamond Thug continue to push the boundaries of their direction with this warm and enticing new offering. Using subtle and ethereal production to create a brilliantly vivid yet solemn soundscape, this return shows that as they venture into this new year, their reputation for captivating compositions remains untarnished.
Accompanied by a beautiful new video, directed by Meghan Daniels, the new visuals add that extra layer of emotion to the song, creating a rich and heartfelt narrative that fits perfectly alongside the band’s own sweeping aesthetic.
Diamond Thug comment on “Purple Skies”
“Purple Skies was written right at the beginning of the lockdown in South Africa. Chantel was away in the countryside, staying with family in Napier, while the rest of the band were back in Cape Town. The city was quiet and the sudden change in our sense of normalcy sent us into quite a deep dive of personal self-discovery. Our last two singles, Empty Streets & Backpush both came from the same point in space-time, but while our previous songs reflected the sense of frustration and confusion we felt, Purple Skies reflects on a silver lining that shone through the dark clouds. A song about coming to terms with the finite nature of our existence, and the fragility of our existence.
“Danilo wrote the piano line in his apartment in Cape Town on a rainy Saturday. The left-hand is reminiscent of an old Romantic era Classical bassline, with a free-form right-hand melody that weaves in and out allowing space for more, saturated in a long-tailed reverb. Danilo sent the song to Chantel, who resonated with the mood instantly. It had been a time of contemplation, she kept staring into the deep purple-pink sunsets every evening. Contemplating how quickly life could change direction, how quickly it could end and found herself deeply saddened by the thoughts of losing those around her. As the sunsets passed, the fear of losing those around her lifted. With the end of every day, came a moment of intense beauty that only lasted a short time. Despite the short time that the sunsets lasted, the happiness they brought was significantly impactful to her.
“The song was rounded off by the rest of the band adding cello, percussion, horns and guitar to widen the atmosphere and mirror the swelling of emotions they all felt.”
Meghan Daniels comments on the video for “Purple Skies”
“‘Purple Skies’ follows the relationships between two brothers, and is an exploration of loss and grief, as well as an ode to life, love and youth. ‘Purple Skies’ asks the question, how do we deal with the death of someone close to us when it was this person who gave us life? ‘Purple Skies’ breathes a brief world into existence, filled with joy, love, anger, loss, and moments of shared celebratory joy.”
You can stream “Purple Skies on Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms.
More info about Diamond Thug
Diamond Thug are a space-rock band from Cape Town, South Africa. Since their formation, Diamond Thug has continually evolved, always striving to create a unique sound that stays true to their perspective. Their music glides through dream-pop, skittish, off-kilter electronica & psychedelic-rock, creating cosmic-influenced ethereal soundscapes, which swirl below Chantel’s haunting, yet beautiful melodies.
The pursuit of an authentic & honest sound has earned the band various honours in international competitions such as Culture Collide’s pick to perform at #SXSW2017, as well as Converse’s Music Global Takeover and the attention of Grammy Award winner Darryl Torr.
Torr had this to say about Diamond Thug
“When listening to Diamond Thug, you are taken on a journey. It’s the effortless vocals, supported by a solid band that tips you over the edge & pulls you through into their world. It’s rare to find a voice that can execute such interesting melodies so effortlessly as well as a band that leaves space for the vocals to shine, yet are able to maintain musical integrity.”
They released their 12-track debut album ‘Apastron’ in April 2018. The record was featured as Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight, an accolade much revered in the South African music industry. They have also received significant playlisting on Spotify gathering over 3 million streams on the album. In May 2018 the band released ‘Gaiafy’, an EP dealing with themes of mental health and other issues important to them. The EP found international support on Apple Music and Spotify, with features on Indie Shuffle.
The band is passionate about South African music, in 2017, bassist, Danilo Queiros started an independent record label: Kudukudu Records to promote other great South African acts to the world.
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