COVER IMAGE
LP released: Apr 29, 2022

Tracklisting:
1. You Good? (In Media Res)
2. Shuck & Jive
3. Red, White, & Blue
4. Jean
5. Mcconnell
6. Ganymede
7. Barbershop Interlude
8. In The Van Somewhere Outside Of Birmingham
9. Juvie
10. The Routine
11. Huerta
12. Milk & Honey
13. Done Talking
14. Americana
15. Yeah... I'm Good (Epilogue)
PROPER.
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL (BONE & GREY VINYL)
Label: FATHER DAUGHTER
Cat No: FD109LP-C2
Barcode: 731946465041
Packaging: LP (100g)

The Great American Novel is a concept album about how Black genius, specifically my own, goes ignored, is relentlessly contested, or just gets completely snuffed out before it can flourish,a€? says vocalist Erik Garlington (he/him). This record is a concept album thats meant to read like a book; every song is a chapter following the protagonist through their 20s. Imagine a queer, Black Holden Caufield-type coming up in the 2010s.a€? The result is an album that is both lyrically and musically heavy, the former something fans have come to expect from Garlingtons unflinchingly honest lyrical content, but the latter something thats refreshingly new. Channeling the heavier music he listened to during his adolescencea€'from post-hardcore outfit At the Drive-In to progressive metal band System of a Downa€'Garlington and the rest of Proper.a€'bassist Natasha Johnson (she/her) and drummer Elijah Watson (he/they)a€'push themselves in ways they havent before, culminating in an ambitious project that showcases the new sonic territory the band is heading in. Produced and recorded by Bartees Strange and mixed and mastered by Brian DiMeglio, The Great American Novel clocks in at fifteen tracks including Huerta,a€? which explores Garlingtons Mexican heritage, and Red, White and Blue,a€? a commentary on the imbalance between the United States everyday citizens and elite class. The songs reflect the overall tone of The Great American Novel: abrasive, powerful, and beautifully poignant. At the end of the day, what I wanted to do with this record is take Proper. in a direction that would surprise people on first listen, but end up making complete sense on the second or third listen. I think a lot of bands tend to go more pop but I wanted to make something both challenging and undeniably catchy,a€? Garlington said. It all goes back to Black genius and how its ingested by the predominantly cishet, white male crowd. If theyre going to be a voyeur to the Black experience, I wanted to strip away all the cheeky song titles, lyrical inside jokes, and optimistic singalongs. I want them to hear this record and learn about our identity crises, our aimlessness, how many friends and family we know that are dead or in jail by 25. How, at eight we were told we were gifted but by 11 we were told were dangerous.a€?

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PROPER.
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL CD
PROPER.
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL MC