Release concert at Ideal Bar in Copenhagen followed by the 'Tour for Fools'. See dates below.
On N.P. York & The Fools' debut album, "Music for Fools," the group explores a variety of musical expressions, gracefully shifting between indie rock, pop, soul, and folk. Genres are not important to the group – it's about evoking the right emotions. The songs are written by lead singer and frontman N.P. York, drawing from his entire musical upbringing including post-punk and rock, as well as folk and country music. He has also composed and arranged most of the roles for his orchestra of 13 musicians. "Music For Fools" shows us both the darkness and the light, the hopeful and the depressed: the album was written by N.P. York at a time when he was struggling with severe depression. At the same time, he was newly in love, and these conflicting feelings manifest as moods on the record. Ultimately, hope prevails.
Track by track:
In "Intro" a spherical sound carpet is woven together from parts of several different songs on the album, elegantly leading the listener into N.P. York's contrasting universe. "One From The Heart" is a dreamy and pulsating opening song where N.P. York sets the stage: "This is one from the heart," he sings, followed by all 13 members of the band joining in. In "Vivid Dream" N.P. York & The Fools showcase their best side, blending the soft with the grandiose. "Hits Me Hard" simply deals with navigating the experience of being newly in love while suffering from depression, with the recurring element in the production being the strings, culminating in an epic outro with guitars and drums. With "Here it Comes" N.P. York guides us through a soulful journey with his piano, intense vocals, and beautiful strings, about going with the flow of life.
"The Waves" demonstrates N.P. York's ability to compose a beautiful song that can carry both strings, brass, and the rest of the band. This is a waltzing, soulful ballad about simply living life, spiced up with beautiful strings, brass, and a recognizable guitar riff. In "Wasting Time (Part I)" hope begins to emerge, then it continues directly into "Wasting Time (Part II)" where N.P. York & The Fools reveal their post-punk side, with saxophone, strong guitar riffs, and pulsating drums singing about wasting time, which is perfectly okay. "Death in the Morning" is all about contrasts. The song deals with fear of death and love, so the group naturally weaves an indie-folk, guitar-driven song after their rock'n'roll number. "A Little Bit of Grace" is the focus track on the album, a straight-up road trip, feel-good song about seeking beauty amidst the ugliness in the world. Because while we subconsciously deny bombs and powerful men, we all still search for "a little bit of grace". "Isn’t that pretty" is a soulful, un-Danish, and complete third-person narrative from N.P. York's vagabond life in the USA. "Teach u Tuff" is a love ballad where N.P. York takes the piano, the two backing singers, Ditte and Asta, join in on the chorus, while the lyrics simply examine the inevitable: love, and one's insecurity in it, and its purity. This is the first song written for the album, and it's written for N.P. York's fiancée. In "Pain & the ever after," suspense builds and here N.P. York sings about buying flowers from the gas station to make amends for the mistakes made in a relationship. The music crashes in as N.P. York's lyrics evolve, realizing that it's all "Pain and love". And with all that said, N.P. York & The Fools conclude with the words: "No truth here, just a bunch of lies, well, it’s hard to recognize… music for fools". Then the trumpet plays us out into a Tom Waits-inspired classic of a closing song "Music for Fools".
"Music for Fools" is produced by Andreas Linnemann (producer on BÆST) and N.P. York will be released on March 1, 2024.
The release will be marked with a release concert at Ideal Bar and a Denmark tour under the name 'Tour for Fools'.
Ideal Bar, København – 1. marts
Posten, Odense – 7. marts
Skråen, Aalborg – 15. marts
Musikhuset, Aarhus (trio) – 11. april