On February 26, Loosegroove Records will release a collaborative album from Particle Kid and Daniel Lanois. The Ocean Floor presents 11 tracks built on atmospheric folk and psychedelia textures as well as searing indie rock tones. The album is currently available for pre-order/pre-save.
Particle Kid, aka Micah Nelson, notes,“The Ocean Floor is the crux from which all these songs poured out. It’s pretty much the last true mysterious frontier on this planet. The modern world can too often feel like a dystopian hellhole, where we’re bombarded by pop-up ads for the war machine, every new building is gray and soulless and built cheaply, and nothing seems to really have much integrity. Everything seems like a corporate circle jerk, the enshittification of the user experience of reality. These feelings evolved into a sort of narrative about people fleeing the privatized prison world toward the ocean floor, which had become this living entity: a primordial deep consciousness that was calling them through dreams, toward the future. We wanted to create a sense of hope amidst the sorrow in these songs, and the idea that a healthier world is possible, even if it requires us to seek it within ourselves and then work outwardly. The Ocean Floor became, for me, like the depths of the heart from which all human creativity emerges.”
Lanois, the iconic producer who has worked with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris and many others, reflects, “I believe we got to a special place with this record. I hope that people find something in the message of this work. I think that the record stands out simply for its values. Hopefully we can touch a few hearts, help inspire a world that has cleaner water, more kindness, and more consideration.”
The Ocean Floor also features contributions from Particle Kid bassist Aroyn Day as well as Lanois’ longtime percussionist Kyle Crane (Lorde, Madison Cunningham) and bassist Daryl Johnson (The Neville Brothers, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris).
The first single “Even the Birds” is now streaming. Nelson says of the song, “Particle Kid was on tour with the Flaming Lips in ‘23 and we had a day off somewhere. I was sitting alone by a river that ran under a little street bridge. A bird flew out from under the bridge and swooped up into the air. I followed the bird thinking it would disappear into the infinite horizon, but it plopped down onto a tree just a hundred feet away. I thought ‘even the birds can’t get outta this town…’ and the rest of the lyrics appeared. It’s a ‘grass is always greener’ sort of song—wherever you go, there you are. Sometimes the best move is to stay put even if you have the chance to fly away. I had initially recorded a sketchy demo version of this song on my laptop in a hotel room somewhere on the road and sent it to Dan. I’m pretty sure some of the sounds from that hotel room demo ended up on the record version! That funky bass line is a combo of me playing Moog Taurus pedals at Daniel’s house and Aroyn Day playing his electric bass when we later recorded it with the live band.”
Particle Kid and Daniel Lanois will tour in support of the album, with the dates listed below the official video for “Even the Birds.”
Particle Kid & Daniel Lanois Tour Dates
2/27 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Forever
2/28 - Joshua Tree, CA - Joshua Tree Retreat Center
3/10 - Portland, OR - Portland Jazz Festival
3/11 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
3/12 - Seattle, WA - Easy Street Records (In-Store Set & Signing)
3/20 - Dallas, TX - Kessler Theater
3/21 - Tulsa, OK - Studio Church
