Ahead of the June 17 arrival of his 4AD debut album, Farm to Table, Bartees Strange has released “Hold the Line,” a song he wrote in honor of the late George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna.
“I remember watching George Floyd’s daughter talk about the death of her father and thinking wow — what a sad introduction to Black American life for this young person,” Strange said. “It was painful to watch her grow up in that moment, like all Black kids eventually do.”
In response, Strange wrote “Hold the Line” over the course of three days during the first pandemic summer of 2020. “Through this song I was trying to make sense of what was happening in the U.S., my neighborhood and my community at that moment,” he said. “During the marches, people were trying to stop the bleeding, locked arm in arm, doing everything they could to hold the line.”
Led by the pre-release tracks “Heavy Heart” and “Cosigns,” Farm To Table finds the Strange “celebrating the past, moving towards the future and fully appreciating the present,” according to a statement. After its digital release next month, the album will arrive on LP and CD on Oct. 7.
Bartees Strange Farm To Table Track List:
1. Heavy Heart
2. Mullholland Dr
3. Wretched
4. Cosigns
5. Tours
6. Hold The Line
7. We Were Only Close For Like Two Weeks
8. Escape This Circus
9. Black Gold
10. Hennessy
Bartees Strange 2022 Tour Dates
May 13 – SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Kilby Block Party
June 18 – LOS ANGELES, CA, The Getty [on sale June 4]
July 3 – WERCHTER, BE, Rock Werchter 2022
July 4 – COLOGNE, DE, Helios37
July 5 – HAMBURG, DE, Molotow
July 7 – BERLIN, DE, Badehaus
July 9 – MADRID, ES, Mad Cool Festival 2022
July 11 – MUNICH, DE, Milla
July 12 – FRIBOURG, CH, Festival Les Georges
July 13 – REES-HALDERN, NL, Haldern Pop Bar
July 14 – AMSTERDAM, NL, Upstairs @ Paradiso
July 16 – LEEDS, GB, Community Room @ Brudenell Social Club
July 17 – MANCHESTER, GB, Night & Day Café
July 19 – CARDIFF, GB, Clwb Ifor Bach
July 20 – BRIGHTON, GB, Patterns
July 21 – LONDON, GB, Powerhaus
July 22 – SUFFOLK, GB, Latitude Festival
July 29 – OMAHA, NE, Maha Festival 2022
August 7 – CALGARY, AB, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
August 8 – BONNER, MT, KettleHouse Amphitheater
August 9 – OGDEN, UT, Ogden Amphitheater
August 10 – DILLON, CO, Dillon Amphitheater
August 13 – NORTH ADAMS, MA, MASS MoCA
August 26 – TORONTO, ON, Budweiser Stage
October 1 – COLUMBIA, MD, All Things Go Music Festival
