Kendra Morris
Next
Karma Chief Records
New single, "Flat Tire," now streaming
Colemine Exclusive Yellow w/ Red & Blue Swirl ltd 300 Copies
Album housed in a gatefold tip-on jacket. Inner gatefold features playable board game that walks you through the album. Each record (all variants) includes die-cut insert with playing pieces and game cards to punch out.
The newest track from Kendra Morris, coinciding with the announcement of her board-game-concept album 'Next,' is a pitstop on the game board. The track title "Flat Tire" accurately describes Kendra's creative process. The song expresses "me and my maniacal ideas just trying to make my way and a living in the world as an artist," Kendra shares, "as well as my stubbornness and refusal to conform, which can sometimes lead to the results not being quite what I want. Sometimes even a disaster or a deflation -- but never a failure. In the end I just have to laugh at myself and be glad that I even tried in the first place."
The song sonically tips the hat to old reggae from the 60’s. "My parents used to go to Jamaica and bring records back from their trips," Kendra explains, "...so I found a love for reggae at a young age." The song started simply with a little backwards guitar strum; the melody quickly came to Kendra. Kendra and [Leroi] Conroy worked together to incorporate doowop and lofi reggae references via the background vocals. They carry the tune in a unique way. " I knew that the voices of the guys in my band were exactly what the song needed. I wanted something imperfect and raw and once they were incorporated the song really took shape." The cherry on top was then provided by Ray Jacildo (The Black Keys, Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos) on piano and organ, who keeps the tune moving right along.