With its highly anticipated announcement of this year's Soundset lineup coming Wednesday morning, Rhymesayers Entertainment added to the buzz by announcing details of the next album by the fest's resident headliner, Atmosphere. It's titled "Southsiders" and will land May via the Minneapolis indie-rap imprint.
As has been apparent by at Atmosphere gigs over the past year, the city's most celebrated hip-hop act is back in rapper/DJ duo mode, with Slug and Ant leaving behind the live band that defined their last two albums. Along with the record-release news, Rhymesayers dropped the first single off the record, "Bitter."
The frost-biting track not only shows off the more electronic two-man sound but also hints at the lyrical content of the album, with Slug looking back at his ascent from his native south Minneapolis and the certain amount of jealousy that went with success: "Came home, everybody want to judge now," he says midway through the song, "Don't want to let them see you celebrate your touchdown." Other song titles on the album include "January on Lake Street," "Southsiders," "I Love You Like a Brother," "The World Might Not Live Through the Night" and – most curiously – "Kanye West."
While they're a sure bet at Soundset, Atmosphere has also announced a few other shows behind the album that includes an appearance at the second of two Sasquatch Festivals near Seattle on the Fourth of July with Soundgarden, Frank Ocean, Kraftwerk, New Order and Spoon. Pre-orders of "Southsiders" are now available via iTunes or Fifth Element.
