Rostam revealed back in November that his third studio album called American Stories was arriving this year, and today it's finally being officially announced. It's set for release in May, and the lead single "Like A Spark" is out now.
American Stories is his first new record since 2021's Changephobia. "At some point in making this record I realized the album I wanted to make was one that reflected my identity as both Iranian and American," he says. "Pushing the most Iranian elements right up against the most American ones brought me a certain kind of joy. The first time I put microtonal saz melodies over Western guitar chords, I was thrown off by the way the two rubbed together. But the more I listened the more I became drawn to that rub. I became addicted to it."
About the artwork, he adds, "The presentation of the flag upside down is something that the Left, the Right, and the Native American Land Back movement have all made use of. It’s a symbology that’s shared by all these groups and yet could mean different things to each of us. I’m interested in that conversation; that conversation is fundamentally American."
The self-produced record features Clairo on vocals; Yaghmai on saz, violin, and guitar; Daniel Aged on upright bass and pedal steel; Paul Cartwright on violin; Gabe Noel on cello and upright bass; Hamilton Berry on cello; Henry Solomon on flute and clarinet; Andrew Tachine and Joey Messina-Doerning on drums; and Tobias Jesso Jr. on co-writing for some tracks.
"Like A Spark" is accompanied by a music video taken from American Stories: A Concert Film, which premieres later this spring. Check it out below along with the tour dates (and his recently launched Substack).
TRACKLIST:
01 "Like A Spark"
02 "Back Of A Truck"
03 "Different Light"
04 "Hardy" (Feat. Clairo)
05 "Forgive Is To Know"
06 "To Feel No Way"
07 "The Road To Death"
08 "Come Apart"
09 "The Weight"
TOUR DATES:
05/27 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box*
05/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford#*
06/03 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel*
06/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club!
06/06 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater!
06/07 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile!
06/09 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux*
06/10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room*
06/11 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theater *
06/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line KCMP/Electric Fetus*
06/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*
06/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House*
06/17 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair*
06/18 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall#*
06/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl*
06/20 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club!
06/22 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom*
06/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West*
06/24 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East *
06/26 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk*
09/08 – London, UK @ Village Underground^
09/09 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie^
09/12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Berghain Kantine
09/13 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub^
09/15 – Stockholm Nalen Klubb^
# Zsela
* Henry Solomon
! Henry Solomon + Elori Saxl
^ Bad Actor
American Stories is out 5/5 via Matsor Projects/Secretly Distribution. Pre-order it here.
