As mentioned inside our 2016 Most Anticipated Albums feature, and after signing with VP Records last summer, Southern California’s Simpkin Project expects to have a huge 2016 with the release of their fourth studio album.
Entitled Beam of Light, the new album will feature ten to eleven songs, along with a few remixes/dubs, a cover of a legendary soul tune and acoustic versions of some songs according to the band.
“We chose this title for a few reasons,” says the band. “First off, ‘Beam of Light’ has proven itself to be a fan favorite when we perform the song at our shows! It’s easy to sing along to, even if it’s your first time hearing the tune. The words are simple but the message has many levels. So why not honor our fans by calling our album that? Just hearing the words ‘beam of light’ creates an abundance of beautiful mental images that each person uniquely experiences. It reminds us that we are all connected by something bigger than ourselves and it’s this theme that can be heard and sensed throughout the album’s duration.”
The majority of the album was recorded at Keyboardist Shawn Taylor’s home in Huntington Beach, CA under Producers Rellee Hayden and Al Cruz of A-Team Music (New Kingston, Gyption), with the mixing being done in studios in LA, New York, and possibly Jamaica.
“This album catches the true essence and spirit of what the band is today,” says lead vocalist Phil Simpkin. “It’s classic Simpkin, but at the same time is something very new and fresh! As a band this is our most collaborative album to date; everybody writes, everybody contributes.”
The band didn’t say if there are any guest vocalists on the album, but did allude to their excitement over some guest musicians when they said, “On a couple of tunes we feature the legendary drum and bass combo from New Kingston. Their approach to roots reggae has been a nice addition to the sound of the album.”
The band is currently deep in the mixing process and expects to have the album ready for release by the summer, however they’ll be releasing a new single and video in the coming months.
Related Links:
Simpkin Project Website
Simpkin Project Facebook
Article By: Andrew Aroche
Watch: Simpkin Project – Lose Control