Lawrence Kim is making his solo debut count. The New York City-based songwriter releases “Line and Key,” the second single from his forthcoming debut album ‘The Hours And The Times’, due May 15. The track features Kid Millions (Oneida, Man Forever) and Eoin Russell (Songs: Ohia) on pedal steel, with mixing by John Agnello. A video, continuing the black-and-white Brooklyn visual saga directed by Meredith Truax, is out now on YouTube.
“Line and Key” carries a deceptively simple question at its core: “Will you ever learn?” It is the kind of track that earns repeated listens, layered and unhurried, with the kind of depth that only comes from assembling exactly the right collaborators. Kim wrote, produced, arranged, played, and sang the bulk of ‘The Hours And The Times’ himself, then brought in a well-chosen cast of contributors to round out the record.
That guest list is worth noting. Alongside Kid Millions and Russell, the album features Emma Tricca, Rachel Cox (Oakley Hall), Alexandra Helgerson, Stephen Chen (Ghost Funk Orchestra, San Fermin), Peter Hess (Philip Glass Ensemble), Dana Lyn, and more. Kim, a former member of BMX Bandits, Scam Avenue, and The Amber Smith, and touring guitarist for Ryn Weaver, spent years in bands before turning inward. “I like being in bands,” he says. “It’s like being in a gang. Us versus the world.”
‘The Hours And The Times’ is, by Kim’s own description, an album about being alone, which is not necessarily the same thing as being lonely. “I didn’t set out to make an album around that,” he says, “but that’s what I ended up with.” The record’s first single, “Madeleine,” arrived last month alongside a super 8 video also directed by Truax.
The album release show is set for May 17 at Mama Tried in Brooklyn, 4pm. ‘The Hours And The Times’ arrives May 15.
Tracklist:
- New Jetsetter
- Sawyer
- Madeleine
- Rodeo (ft. Emma Tricca and Rachel Cox)
- Best Western
- Escape Artist (ft. Rachel Cox)
- Line and Key (ft. Kid Millions)
- Diver
- Go Lay Yourself Down Again