Silence has a simple beauty that is rarely appreciated these days. With it, we often run for cover, searching for the first bit of noise we can detect to occupy the void. So little is the silence simply embraced. The lack of noise, however, whether that noise be from physical distractions, like your phone, or audible distractions, like too much socializing, can be a tremendous teacher. It can transport you back to a time and place when things were a little simpler. Perhaps, all the way back to a time when you had a little bit deeper of a love for that hobby you have been obsessed with ever since. Silence has the power to remind you that the love you had for that hobby, the love that you were fortunate enough to turn into a job (a fucking awesome job) needs to be at the forefront of everything you do. Finding the ability to step back, relinquish your thoughts and embrace the silence gives you that sense of needing to rewind a bit… putting you in a place where you can begin to rediscover why you fell in love with it in the first place.
Exemplifying this notion beautifully is The District’s own SOJA, bringing to you “Press Rewind”: the band’s newest release from their highly-anticipated, long-awaited album, Beauty in the Silence, set to be released on September 24th. Featuring J Boog and Collie Buddz, “Press Rewind” promptly sets the tone of the new album, being the opener, as a pure celebration of music and is overflowing with a passionate amount of love and appreciation for all of the legends who came before, as well as a deep respect for the music itself. “When we first fell in love with this band, we were kids,” says frontman Jacob Hemphill. “We worked our other jobs. In a band, if you’re lucky, music eventually becomes your real job. While that’s amazing, if you’re not careful, it becomes more ‘job’ than ‘awesome’. That’s when you gotta press rewind and remember why you fell in love and why you’re still in love with music.”
The list of iconic names that get shoutouts in “Press Rewind” warms the heart, as well as displays the diversity of influences and cultures brought together to create this fun and lively track.
Born out of the back of Buddz’s tour bus after a show one night, this illustriously beaming tribute is a shining example of how music can enlighten and sustain us through all sorts of trials and tribulations. And, how — if you simply embrace the silence and press rewind — the pure joy you will discover can keep you going for two lifetimes.
It’s no secret that it has been a minute since we have gotten a new SOJA record, however, Jacob, Bobby Lee and the rest of the GRAMMY-nominated eight-piece deliberately felt the need to take their time. Wanting to explore new recording environments and techniques, which now include Zoom calls and remote working, the process seems to have driven SOJA to even further creative heights. “I really love that this record is a mix of all of us together in a room and all of us far apart,” said Hemphill. “It’s something that I’d love to keep doing in the future: let’s get together, let’s get the vibe and the groove, and then let’s go off into our own worlds and discover what’s there.” After the release of “Press Rewind” and the previously released single “Something to Believe In” featuring Stick Figure, the guys seem to have used that time apart to fully embrace the stillness, rewind a bit to discover their roots and continue to bring to life the opening line of a poem by Max Ehrmann that Hemphill knows all too well: “Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.”
“Press Rewind” is available everywhere now and Beauty in the Silence is set to be released on September 24th. Can’t wait? Make sure to pre-save or pre-order the album via the links below!
Purchase or stream “Press Rewind” single:
SOJA – “Press Rewind”, feat. Collie Buddz & J Boog
Pre-order or pre-save ‘Beauty In The Silence’ album:
PRE-ORDER ► iTunes | Amazon | Bandcamp | Official Store
PRE-SAVE ► Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal | Pandora
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