Photo Credit: Matthew Tammaro
Bria Salmena has a debut solo album out this week. We have yet to hear but judging from the single releases it promises to be pretty good. The latest single is ‘Rags’. Sadly, we can’t embed the restricted video that’s on YouTube. The good news is that you can find it yourself! So you’re not totally disappointed there are 2 videos below, for ‘Hammer’ and ‘Stretch the Struggle’. There’s a hefty amount of tour dates below too.
“Rags” is a song about transgressive rage and the catharsis that is possible when it’s given permission to move freely through the body. Inspired by the X-ray photography series of co-director Justin Aranha, the “Rags” video is a visual exploration of what it feels like to strip away things that no longer serve you, a theme that we see throughout the album. The video centers the “body” of the community as the vehicle through which rage can be shared, held, and transformed. Surrounded by Bria’s friends and community, a heightened collective vulnerability and connection to rage is redefined by togetherness.
From Salmena, “In writing Rags and developing the video concept in collaboration with director Julia Hendrickson, “accommodation” revealed itself as the foundation of the rage we were both drawing inspiration from. Altering your values to accommodate external expectations was a feeling I knew all too well from my adolescence. When I realized I was losing myself, as an adult, to the same vices of external validation, I felt like an angry teenage girl all over again. As a way of reconciling this self-awareness, I sat in my bedroom and tried to write a song my fifteen-year-old self would want to hear.”Director Julia Hendrickson shares, “When I first heard “Rags,” I was moved by its raw anger, intensity, and sexuality—a fierce, youthful, and self-assured energy. I knew I wanted the video to capture those same qualities. There’s so much to be angry about right now, and Bria’s rage carves out a space where you can scream alongside her.”
Tour dates:
Wed. Apr. 02 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
Fri. Apr. 04 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriet’s
Sat. Apr. 05 – San Francisco, CA – Make Out Room
Tue. Apr. 08 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
Wed. Apr. 09 – Portland, OR – Swan Dive
Fri. Apr. 11 – Visilia, CA – Cellar Door
Sat. Apr. 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Lounge
Sat. Apr. 26 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s
Sun. Apr. 27 – New York, NY – Baby’s All Right
Tue. Apr. 29 – Baltimore, ML – Metro Baltimore
Wed. Apr. 30 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
Thu. May 01 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room
Fri. May 02 – Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House Revival
Sat. May 03 – Chicago, IL – Hideout
Wed. May 07 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
Fri. May 09 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
Mon. May 12 – Manchester, UK – YES
Tue. May 13 – London, UK – The Lexington
Wed. May 14 – Brighton, UK – The Great Escape Festival
Fri. May 16 – Amsterdam, NL – London Calling Festival
Sat. May 17 – Rotterdam, NL – Roodkapje
Mon. May 19 – Paris, FR – La Boule Noire
Tue. May 20 – Köln, DE – Jaki
Thur. May 22 – Berlin, DE – Privatclub
Fri. May 23 – Copenhagen, DK – Loppen
Sat. May 24 – Stockholm, SE – Echo Three Festival
Sun. May 25 – Oslo, NO – Revolver
Tue. May 27 – Hamburg, DE – Häkken
Sat. July 5 – Orillia, ON – Mariposa Folk Festival
July 18-20 – Guelph, ON – Hillside Festival
DeClunk 