Rostam was once a founding member of Vampire Weekend and produced their first three albums, for which he was awarded a Grammy among other accolades. On June 4, 2021, the American musician will release his new solo album "Changephobia". Today, the new single from it, "4Runner", is already being released.
Even after his departure from Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums Rostam Batmanglij produced and significantly shaped, the American songwriter, singer, and producer remained active. In 2017, Rostam released his critically acclaimed solo debut "Half-Light". Shortly thereafter, he produced and wrote music with and for American singer Clairo for her debut album "Immunity". Currently, Rostam is once again nominated for a Grammy for his production of the latest album by the band Haim, "Women in Music Pt. III". In the past three years, Rostam has consistently found time to write and record new songs for his upcoming album "Changephobia". On the new work, the musician experiments with new soundscapes, influenced by 50s bebop and 90s neo-psychedelia.
The video for 4RUNNER can be seen and heard here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kSAfpJtULA
In terms of content, Rostam touches on themes such as global warming ("These Kids We Knew"), sex ("Unfold You"), and the quintessentially American phenomenon of road trips ("4Runner") on "Changephobia". When asked about the album title, Rostam reveals: "A few years ago, I met a stranger on a park bench and we started talking. I opened up and shared some changes in my life that turned my resume upside down." The person encouraged Rostam that changes are good and that he should hold onto them.
"Transphobia, biphobia, homophobia - these words carry a heavy danger within them," Rostam continues. "This danger is that these words describe fears. The root of it all is the fear of change. The fear of the unknown, of a future that is still unknown. In which tradition, fixed definitions, and the distribution of power will change."
Gender issues were omnipresent for Rostam while writing "Changephobia". "I wanted to write about love and interpersonal connections, but never place these relationships in a gendered context," Rostam shares. "The songs on 'Changephobia' are not meant to celebrate the fear of change, but the exact opposite."
"Changephobia" by Rostam will be released on June 4, 2021, via Matsor Projects/Secretly Canadian, distributed by Cargo.
