April March announces collaborative album w/Staplin, shares track

APRIL MARCH UNVEILS NEW ALBUM APRIL MARCH MEETS STAPLIN COLLABORATIVE ALBUM BETWEEN ACCLAIMED SINGER/SONGWRITER AND CELEBRATED FRENCH CINEMATIC MUSIC DUO TO BE RELEASED MAY 5, 2023 VIA VELVETICA MUSIC VINYL ARRIVES ON APRIL 22 AS AN OFFICIAL RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE NEW TRACK “PARTI AVEC LE SOLEIL” OUT NOW – LISTEN

Photo credit: Michael Levine

Francophile indie singer/songwriter April March is proud to announce the new album April March Meets Staplin, due May 5 via Velvetica Music (with vinyl arriving on April 22, just in time to make it an official Record Store Day title). The album – a collaboration between March and the celebrated French duo Staplin, with lyrics in both French and English – is heralded by new track “Parti Avec le Soleil,” which has been described by the artists as being “written for Vivien Leigh to sing before she stood in front of the train in Duvivier’s ‘Anna Karenina.’” Stream the track now at all DSPs. “‘Parti Avec Le Soleil’ was recorded on a rainy afternoon in Normandie,” March says. “Toby Dammit joined us and we hit it like Jules Renard: ‘In order to do certain crazy things, it is necessary to behave like a coachman who has let go of the reins and fallen asleep.’ If I could record 3 million more albums with Staplin, I surely would.” HEAR “PARTI AVEC LE SOLEIL”  This new collection bears marks from all points of March’s wildly varied career, from the classic “Chick Habit” – hand-picked by Quentin Tarantino for his film Death Proof – to “Allons-y,” her recent collaboration with Olivia Jean. April March Meets Staplin could be accurately surmised as an amalgam of 60’s psychedelic rock, krautrock and yé-yé, with added influences as far-flung as Beck, David Lynch, Phil Spector, Serge Gainsbourg and of course, the undeniably distinct touch of the inimitable April March.  A revered animator and illustrator (Ren & Stimpy, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, We Are Going To Be Friends) as well as a long-recognized songwriting force, March has recorded and performed onstage with Ronnie Spector and also recorded with Brian Wilson, cementing her place in musical history while leaving a wide-open path to whatever she cooks up next.

Who is April March? Born in NYC, raised in a pre-war apartment perched on the edge of the Upper East Side, she became a singer and animator by gazing into Spanish Harlem drawing while harmonizing over the fire escape with her sister. She soon found her way downtown where Harry Smith, Allen Ginsberg and Wallace & Gromit’s Nick Park mentored her. After hours she sang and wrote songs, opening for The Buzzcocks, River Phoenix and so on. She recorded with members of The Gun Club and REM. Ronnie Spector plucked her to record and perform with her as a Ronette, diverting her from the stage at CBGB’s up to Madison Square Garden.  Eventually going the way of most animators, for an animator is actually just an actor whose acting is done through a pencil, she headed out to the high desert near Hollywood to attend Disney’s Animation Program. From there she veered left to join the team behind Ren & Stimpy. Mid-season they were all fired by the network for pushing their edge an edge too far, only to reincarnate amongst the creators of SpongeBob. Brian Wilson summoned her to record with him, telling her he loved her voice, that he had already recorded her back in ‘62 even though that was a few years before she was actually born. He told her that her voice was so unusual that she would probably go far. He was right. The world was soon introduced to her at the movies via Quentin Tarantino, Gus Van Sant, Alexander Payne and Bertrand Tavernier, all of whom featured her on their soundtracks. Who are Staplin? Arno Van Colen is the wildly inventive leader of the group Steeple Remove. Norman Langolff is his perfect match, raised in recording studios, couch surfing as a child, with an extra dose of the musical spark of his father Frank Langolff who was composing and producing with Serge Gainsbourg. Staplin’s first album was released out of nowhere in 2020 to critical acclaim earning them a residency on Radio France’s FIP as well as the badge of: “reinventor of the soundtrack genre.” That brings us to April March Meets Staplin. Along with April March, Toby Dammit (Iggy Pop’s drummer, as well as a touring member of The Bad Seeds), completes this picture. As Truffaut once said, “It’s a beautiful day outside. Let’s go to a movie,” so let the needle drop. “Le Rayon Vert” will lead you across Maupassant’s rain drenched meadows to a fuzz guitar driven Snow White as she lays down before Alfie Solomons. A palomino will carry you through the fog toward the waves off the rocky coast of Catalina to hear Natalie Wood’s last sigh. As the needle nears the run off groove you’ll be far out and away from wherever you happen to be. All recordings performed and produced by April March and Staplin All songs written by Elinor Blake, Norman Langolff and Arno Van Colen Published by Velvetica Music and Yéyé Music Recorded at Quasar Studios and at home in Rouen, France Mixed by John McEntire at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Gladstone, Oregon, USA Mastering by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering in Detroit, Michigan, USA Vocals and choirs by April March Drums performed by Toby Dammit (courtesy of Larry Mullins) All other instruments and choirs by Norman Langolff and Arno Van Colen A&R by Thomas Jamois (P) & (C) 2023 Velvetica Music

APRIL MARCH APRIL MARCH MEETS STAPLIN (Velvetica Music) Release Date: May 5, 2023 Tracklist: 1. Le Rayon Vert 2. Alfie Solomons’ Hush 3. Les Fleurs Invisibles 4. Palomino Rich Man 5. Ombres 7. Parti Avec Le Soleil 8. Lay Down Snow White 9. Villain’s Whisper 10. Get Wild, Elevator Man 11. L’Horizon 12. Natalie 13. Underneath The wind 14. Guy B. 15. Lone Ranger CONNECT WITH APRIL MARCH: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP