Love the city or hate it to the point where you have Vietnam-like flashbacks every time you’re in a traffic jam elsewhere, Los Angeles definitely has a distinct vibe (and that vibe extends to the San Fernando Valley, which is largely part of L.A. proper anyway.) Naturally, The Valley sort of avoids attention, given that the figurative AND LITERAL spotlight is usually on Hollywood to the south, but it’s still the physical home to several major film studios. And oh yeah; that reputation for being the porn capital of world kinda, sorta persists to this very day (though I don’t make a point to keep track of these things). EITHER WAY: people live there and crazy, exciting things are probably happening. Right?
Right. For starters: Juliana Giraffe and Ari Balouzian were both born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, and their debut album as Midnight Sister is more or less super influenced by their experiences there over 20+ years. You certainly get a sense of their origins while watching the videos for its first two singles, “Leave You” and “Blue Cigar” (both of which you can watch below, and toward which Juliana utilized her directorial skills). Both songs are pretty keen on embracing an eccentricity, and both incorporate the keys in ways that seemingly recall SoCal lounges a few decades ago.
The whole album, entitled Saturn Over Sunset, represents the first genuinely pop effort from either Giraffe or Balouzian. Pre-order it now…or wait it out and buy it for the very first time on September 8, courtesy of Jagjaguwar. Whichever path you choose, check out cover art, full-album tracklisting, and the band’s fall tour itinerary after the clips below.
Saturn Over Sunset tracklisting:
01. Canary
02. Leave You
03. Blue Cigar
04. Showgirl
05. The Drought
06. The Crow
07. Daddy Long Legs
08. Neon
09. Shimmy
10. So Young
11. The View From Gilligan’s Island
12. Hitman
13. Clown
14. Their Eyes
Midnight Sister on tour:
09.08.17 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
09.09.17 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
09.11.17 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst Atrium
09.12.17 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
09.14.17 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
09.15.17 - Seattle , WA - Barboza
09.19.17 - St. Paul, MN - The Turf Club
09.20.17 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
09.22.17 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
09.23.17 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
More about: Midnight Sister
