The EP:
Tanya Morgan is excited to release their new EP, You & What Army, today. The group's new album is available digitally through their Bandcamp page, both as a free download and as a pre-order package that includes a choice of free, limited edition t-shirt.
For Donwill and Von Pea, You & What Army marks another defining moment in their careers, a melding of their solo and group work into a unified, fully-formed sound. "The EP is a natural progression, in that it blends the production sounds that you heard on our solo albums into one cohesive set of songs," says Donwill. "We also were conscious of people noticing that the trio is now a duo, so we wanted to ensure that this and all future projects have a different sound and feel than Brooklynati and Moonlighting."
The EP is a combination of what Tanya Morgan is known for: conceptually driven tracks, mixed with songs that further exemplify how they've grown over the years. "Songs like 'In The City' and 'We Rollin' – both sound like something different for us," says Von Pea. "They tap into parts of our personalities you haven't necessarily gotten to in this way before." Production-wise, Von Pea was joined behind the boards by Astronote, Aeon and Brizzo, all of whom have previously pitched in for Don and Von's 2010 solo projects, Don Cusack In High Fidelity and Pea's Gotta Have It.
Overall, Tanya Morgan wants to inspire listeners with You & What Army, which is evident in the title itself. "The message in the music this time is more about self reliance than it's ever been," says Donwill. "It's about changing the world around you using whatever tools you have at hand. It's what we have built our career on. Von Pea echoes that sentiment as well, saying, "The whole idea is about not letting anything stand in your way. It's so much bigger than music or us – it's life in general."
Download You & What Army here: http://tanyamorgan.bandcamp.com/album/you-what-army
To further celebrate the release, Tanya Morgan is giving fans the opportunity to support with limited edition colorway logo tee's. Each of the four differently colored t-shirts commemorate Don's and Von's past releases, Moonlighting, Brooklynati, Don Cusack In High Fidelity and Pea's Gotta Have It. Only 25 of each shirt has been made, they are available for $20, and also come with a download link for the EP.
The
Background:
Since their inception in 2003, the rap group Tanya Morgan has steadily built a strong foundation of fans and admirers for being what SPIN Magazine referred to as our generation's torchbearers for De La Soul. Following the release of Moonlighting (available in cassette tape format) and The Bridge EP, Tanya Morgan earned critical praise and Top Album of 2009 list inclusions for Brooklynati, which pushed the boundaries of a concept album by incorporating not only lyrical imagery but a creative, multi-tiered marketing campaign that included Brooklynati drivers licenses, an interactive Chamber of Commerce website, a welcome letter from the city mayor, ?uestlove of The Roots, and more. In 2010, they released a free downloadable album called The Sandwich Shop, cleverly crafted from a selection of rare instrumentals from The Roots. Earlier this year, Donwill and Von Pea released acclaimed solo albums, Don Cusack in High Fidelity and Pea's Gotta Have It, respectively. They have since reunited for the next Tanya Morgan project, You & What Army, which is now available via their Bandcamp page.
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