Soul Cannon will be releasing their new, self-titled album — their first in seven years — on October 12th. While no new music was created during the time, the band spent time sharing the stage with Mos Def, Future Islands, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, and more.
They returned furiously returned two weeks ago with a new song called “Test Drive,” which showed that they have not missed a step despite their long absence. Today, we are excited to premiere another new song from Soul Cannon and their eponymous new album called “Play Hard.”
“‘Play Hard’ comes from the phrase ‘work hard, play hard’ and the ways that apply to working on music. The lyrics are non-fictional and tell the story of a rapper that gets overcome by the work and play aspects of the music world, who then gouges out his own eye and jumps out of a hotel room window (yes true story). As much as I enjoy working on music, it has to convey a sense of effortless and fun — and as a result this track ends up being kind of a party by the end,” shares Jon Birkholz, who handles keys/electronics for Soul Cannon.
The song begins with church-choir like sounds, before picking up with jazzy guitars and drums kick in and set the tone for “Play Hard.” Even as the song intensifies throughout, the instrumentals never let up and carry the song, in many ways, even as Eze Jackson raps with purpose and sincerity. Listen to “Play Hard” for yourself above.
If you like what you hear from “Play Hard,” you can follow Soul Cannon on Twitter here and Facebook here for more information and updates regarding the band. Their new album comes out October 12th, and based on the two songs out so far, is going to be another good one from the band.