Amanda Pascali’s newest track “Temporary Home” serves as an honest look into the life of an immigrant and details the struggle of being caught between two worlds. Released on March 31, as millions of refugees flee a war-torn Ukraine, “Temporary Home” fuses sweeping vocals and complex classically-inspired instrumentation in order to take listeners on a journey across genre and time. Finding inspiration in the extraordinary story of her father, Pascali explains that at 18 he “spoke out against the dictatorship in his home country and was thrown into a forced labor camp.” Two years later he moved to New York City as a refugee with asylum and began work at a refrigerator factory. “Without money, friends, or the ability to speak English as a native language, he promised himself that America would only be his temporary home,” she says. Later falling in love with his wife, an Egyptian immigrant by way of France, Pascali’s father ended up staying in the States. The song details those early days after immigrating when it was revealed to her father that America wasn’t exactly the “gold-paved paradise he had dreamed of.”

Pascali explains that as the daughter of two immigrants from two different countries, she grew up feeling as if she was “too foreign for here, too foreign for home, and never enough for both.” Evoking that same feeling through her track, Pascali brilliantly cross-pollinates Afro-Cuban music, indie folk and even splices in samples from the American civil rights movement in order to effortlessly blend the modern world with musical stylings that are deeply rooted in history. The song ends poignantly with the question “where do you belong?” as if to point to the ceaseless struggles which encompass cultural assimilation. Through passionate storytelling and a deep connection to an omnipresent subject matter, “Temporary Home” is powerful on every level, lyrically and musically.

“Temporary Home” will be accompanied by the release of a music video for the track directed by Mexican-American filmmaker Joel Valdes and starring Gabriel Regojo, Oscar Riojas, and Amanda Pascali herself. The short film – a collaborative effort between Pascali and Valdes – tells the story of an immigrant who carries an allegorical suitcase as he perseveres through hardships in America (working in a factory, sleeping among roaches, eating stale bread) and ultimately gives that suitcase to his daughter at the end of the video. The suitcase, the roach, and the letter showcases a few of the elements of powerful symbolism that are displayed in this short-film-music-video hybrid production that captivates viewers as Pascali shares a visual representation of her father’s story.

https://www.amandapascali.com/

Today, March 16, unstoppable New Zealand eight-piece The Black Seeds, tease the upcoming release of their upcoming seventh album ‘Love & Fire’ due on June 17, with another cracking single – the funk-filled ‘It’s So Real’, accompanied by an epic video of superhero proportions. The album will be released via Proville Records/Kartel Music Group in Europe and seminal New York City-based reggae label Easy Star Records in North America in Summer 2022. Pre-order ‘Love & Fire Here. Stream/Watch ‘It’s So Real’ Here

http://lnk.to/ItsSoReal

Following on the release of recent singles ‘Bring The Sun’ and last year’s perfect summertime banger ‘Let The Sunshine Through,’ and destined for dancefloors worldwide, ‘It’s So Real’ is The Black Seeds at their party best. Driven by an infectious muted guitar riff and backed by a rock-solid bass and drum groove, ‘It’s So Real’ weaves and tantalizes. The groove constantly evolves, dropping in and out creating an enticing labyrinth of rhythm and melody with The Black Seeds co-frontman, Barnaby Weir, and his distinct vocals, the glue that holds the track together.

All big statement tunes deserve a big statement video, and ‘It’s So Real’ is no exception. Director Ria Simmons worked closely with Barnaby to visually capture the sentiment of the tune and its “gritty, sexy, funky undertones.” “Barnaby rang me and told me it was a song basically about the domestic grind and trying to make things work with your partner,” says Ria. “With the title of the song, we knew it needed to hold some home truths. We got onto the idea of following Barnaby and his son Miles on their daily grind – a week of stay-at-home dad activities. Then weaving the idea that it’s all to impress the Mrs, and we stumbled into the idea of mashing up super heroism with domesticity. From there the concept grew to the super powers needed to get through life in general. We want to encourage people to see the fun and magic in the normal everyday grind and believe that super heroism can be the smallest of acts, like washing the dishes!”

‘LOVE & FIRE’ is The Black Seeds’ seventh studio album. The 10-track record features ‘It’s So Real,’ plus previously released singles ‘Bring The Sun,’ ‘Let The Sunshine Through’ and ‘Raised With Love’.

Long established as one of New Zealand’s finest bands and with a solid foothold in Europe and North America, The Black Seeds have carved out their reputation on the back of multi-platinum selling albums, and a masterful live show that has been filling dance floors across the globe for years. While firmly based in the island grooves that inspired the birth of the band over a decade ago, The Black Seeds’ sound casts a wide net, layering funk, soul, Afrobeat, and other eclectic elements over their dub/reggae foundations.

The Black Seeds released their debut album ‘Keep On Pushing’ in 2001, which despite a minimal marketing budget, went on to reach platinum sales in New Zealand. The second album, 2004’s ‘On The Sun,’ added a heavy dose of funk and soul to their dub reggae sound. Third album ‘Into The Dojo,’ signaled the beginning of the band’s introduction to the rest of the world. 2008’s follow up ‘Solid Ground’ and 2012’s ‘Dust And Dirt’ and 2017’s ‘FABRIC’ continued to build the band’s global following after they were successfully released through trailblazing North American label Easy Star Records. Easy Star subsequently re-released the entire catalogue from the band in North America.

Consistent touring throughout Europe, North and South America has led to over 60 million Spotify streams since 2015, and their tracks have found placements on cable classics ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Weeds,’ as well on the big screen in movies like ‘Eight Below’ and ‘The Inbetweeners II’. 2017 saw the band continuing to push the boundaries of reggae with the release of their progressive 6th studio album ‘Fabric,’ featuring new guitarist Ned Ngatae and Francis Harawira on bass. The album, which included the popular single ‘’Better Days,” reached the #3 spot on the Billboard Reggae Charts & NZ Album Charts, number #3 on the UK & German iTunes Reggae Charts. Highlights from two decades of international press have included The Huffington Post describing their sound as “thick, bottom-heavy, and melodic,” and Clash Music deeming them “one of the best live reggae acts on the planet…a broad, vastly creative return..matching low-end weight against some mature, soulful songwriting.”