Black Belt Eagle Scout – the project led by multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul – announces her sophomore album, At the Party With My Brown Friends (Saddle Creek), out August 30th. At the Party With My Brown Friends is the follow up to Mother of My Children – “a compact reflection on loss, queer desire, and the endurance of sacred native traditions” (Pitchfork, Best Rock Albums of 2018). The album was inspired by the reciprocal love Paul has experienced in the last few years. Throughout, she conveys a sense of community and connection, dealing with love, desire, and friendship.
At the Party With My Brown Friends is a profound and understated forward-step. The squalling guitar anthems that shaped its predecessor are replaced by delicate vocals and soft keys, sentiments spoken and unspoken, presenting something shadowy and unsettling; a stirring of the waters. Paul recalls specific memories – an impromptu beach trip with her friend Haley Heynderickx, her eternal love for her mother, and leaving one love and desperately wanting to find another. The end result presents a captivating about-face that redefines Paul’s singular artistic vision.
Lead single “At the Party” is a reflection on self-navigation and the comfort that comes from a close-knit group of friends. It starts off with quintessential Black Belt Eagle Scout guitar licks before heading into booming drums and vocals. The track was written while she was in her bedroom. “Within my conscious self, there is always a sense of questioning the legitimacy of the world when you grow up on an Indian reservation,” says Paul. “We are all at the party (the world), trying to navigate ourselves within a good or bad situation. I happen to be at the party with my brown friends- Indigenous, Black, POC who always have my back while we walk throughout this event called life.”
At the Party With My Brown Friends is available for pre-order now on all formats: CD, cassette, digital, LP. Additionally, there is a limited edition of 200 Saddle Creek Exclusive LP on striped vinyl and 500 Indie/Tour LP on maroon vinyl.
Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates
Thu. June 20 – Fri. June 21 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island
Thu. July 11 – Abbotsford, BC @ Jam In Jubilee
Fri. July 26 – Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival
Thu. Aug. 1 – Sun. Aug. 4 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
Sun. Aug. 25 – Port Townsend, WA @ Thing
Wed. Oct. 30 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
Fri. Nov. 1 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Sat. Nov. 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Sun. Nov. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Tue. Nov. 5 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone
Sat. Nov. 30 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
Sun. Dec. 1 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Tue. Dec. 3 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia
Wed. Dec. 4 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
Thu. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Sat. Dec. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Sun. Dec. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
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