SOJA releases their first album in four years, Beauty in the Silence.
SOJA, the internationally acclaimed, two-time GRAMMY-nominated eight-piece from Washington D.C., will release their highly anticipated new album, Beauty In The Silence, their first in four years on September 24 via ATO Records. Their new single Press Rewind ft. Collie Buddz and J Boog instantly sets the album’s mood of soulful celebration; a track that first took form late one night on Buddz’ tour bus and is a gloriously radiant tribute to how music enlightens and sustains us.
“When we first fell in love with this band, we were kids,” says frontman Jacob Hemphill. “We worked our other jobs. In a band, if you’re lucky, music eventually becomes your real job. While that’s amazing, if you’re not careful, it becomes more ‘job’ than ‘awesome.’ That’s when you gotta press rewind and remember why you fell in love, and why you’re still in love with music. I was on Buddz’ bus after a show we did, and he was playing beats he made. He’s a dope producer. He got to this riddim and I freaked out and said ‘wait, dude pause it.’ He paused it for like 30 seconds and I wrote the hook, then he started it over and I sang it. It was on after that.”
Late last month, the band released the album’s first single, Something To Believe In ft. Stick Figure which racked up over 2.3 million streams across DSPs in the first weeks since its debut.
Fueled by the sheer force of the band’s connection and chemistry, Beauty in the Silence makes for a much-needed antidote to fractured times, infusing so much warmth and wisdom and unstoppable joy into each and every track. Like 2014’s acclaimed Amid the Noise and Haste (a Grammy Award nominee for Best Reggae Album), the title to Beauty in the Silence references the opening lines of Max Ehrmann’s beloved poem Desiderata: Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.
“My dad had that poem memorized, and before I’d go out on tour he’d sort of whisper it in my ear,” said Hemphill. “To me, it’s a reminder of what we lose when we get caught up in the distractions all around us. You get so used to life being loud and fast and goal-oriented, but then you go out in nature and hear the silence and realize, ‘Damn, I got tricked.’ Life doesn’t have to be all go, go, go. The real key to life is in being still.”
SOJA deliberately took their time in creating Beauty in the Silence as they explored new sonic terrain – recording in such iconic spots as Miami’s Circle House Studios and Dave Matthews Band’s Haunted Hollow, and teaming up with producers like Niko Marzouca (Pharrell, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, Damian Marley), Mariano Aponte, and Johnny Cosmic – the band eventually phased into working remotely as stay-at-home orders set in across the country. In that process, lead guitarist Trevor Young (formerly SOJA’s guitar tech) took on a much greater role in the band’s creative direction, co-producing alongside Hemphill and carefully shaping the album’s hypnotic sound.
“I really love that this record is a mix of all of us together in a room and all of us far apart,” said Hemphill. “It’s something that I’d love to keep doing in the future: let’s get together, let’s get the vibe and the groove, and then let’s go off into our own worlds and discover what’s there.” SOJA deepens that communal spirit by collaborating with some of the biggest names from all corners of the reggae world including UB40, Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Common Kings, Mihali, Nanpa Baĭsico, Eli Mac, and more. And while each artist brings their own distinct sensibilities to the mix, all of the guest musicians are deeply aligned with the band’s mission of uplifting the masses.
For more than two decades, SOJA has elated audiences across the globe with their fresh yet timeless take on roots reggae, a sound born from their shared passion for making music that transports and inspires. The band was originally formed by a group of friends while still in middle school and has since built a massive, dedicated global fan base. In the years following, SOJA has headlined shows in over 30 countries around the world, generated 7 million social media fans and more than 1 billion streams.
Beauty In The Silence Track Listing:
- Press Rewind (ft. Collie Buddz and J Boog)
- It’s Funny (ft. Eli Mac and Common Kings)
- The Day You Came (ft. Rebelution and UB40)
- Break It Down
- Something To Believe In (ft. Stick Figure)
- Things You Can’t Control
- Back To The Start (ft. Mihali)
- Jump (ft. Slightly Stoopid)
- Still You
- Messages
- Reason To Live (ft. Nanpa Basico and Dirty Heads)
- This Heart Of Mine (ft. Eric Swanson)
- Fall Like Rain
“Contemporary reggae with a forthright social conscience.” – BILLBOARD
“SOJA has cultivated a dedicated global fanbase with their socially conscious lyrics, catchy sound, and a ceaseless touring schedule.” – MTV
“The transcendental appeal of SOJA has as much to do with their simple and traditionally constructed reggae tunes as it does with their universally appealing messages of hope and peace.” – RELIX
