The track marks the official introduction of the band’s next full length campaign, ‘The Above’.
Last month, Pittsburgh disruptors Code Orange ushered in their next phase with the unveiling of not one, but two Goliath tracks in “The Game” and “Grooming My Replacement”. The pair of crushing, dynamic singles showcased the band’s progressive songwriting and innovative approach to crafting a definitive brand of outsider art.
Adding to their current momentum, Code Orange have announced their next full length studio release with the confirmation ofThe Above, due out September 29th via Blue Grape Music. Officially kicking off the campaign, the band have introduced a highly-anticipated collaboration with alt rock royalty.
“Take Shape” serves as the latest preview of the current iteration of Code Orange and features the inimitable vocals of Smashing Pumpkins legend, Billy Corgan.
Packaged with the arrival of the single, Code Orange has revealed a wildly ambitious music video that continues the narrative established for the “Grooming My Replacement” clip. Code Orange frontman Jami Morgan serves as the central character who has escaped his captors to find freedom in a new, vividly colored reality – a stylistic homage to 2001 film,Vanilla Sky.
Combined with the charging chorus of the track and the band’s commanding performance, the clip underscores the boundless creative vision of Code Orange. The video was co-directed by frequent collaborator Max Moore and Jami Morgan, marking the frontman’s directorial debut.
Morgan detailed the process of seeing “Take Shape” from idea to execution. “I have been working on the concept for this video, and others to come, for about a year and a half. I am so thankful to have been able to sit under the learning tree of Max Moore and our DP Eric Robbins. They allowed me to sit in on every minute of this process from hiring to scouting, all the way to final coloring. Being that deep was a revelation and I have found a new love along the way. I couldn’t be prouder of the result.”
As for the greater scope of the album,The Above, is the first full length studio project from Code Orange since their universally-praised 2020 LP,Underneath. The latest self-produced effort finds Jami Morgan and Eric “Shade” Balderose handling their own production duties, enlisting Steve Albini to helm the engineering.
Expanding on the band’s multi-faceted sound,The Aboveadds to Code Orange’s stylistic arsenal, implementing elements of metallic hardcore, grunge, trip and hip hop into a cohesive 14-track assault.
Morgan further detailed the vision of their next phase and how the album asserts a sense of nostalgia, while showcasing creative progression. “We wanted the album to be able to wash over you with melody, aggression, and joy, but it was of equal importance that the closer you look, the more you are rewarded. It was to feel rooted in the “analogue” world, but with threads of digital reality binding things together.
We wanted the sound and even the recording process itself to reflect that edict, so we enlisted Steve Albini at Electrical Audio to get the most real and raw version of the band possible, even recording us all at once in a room together for the first time in our career.”
Coinciding with the arrival of The Above, Code Orange recently announced their own, first-ever music festival, CODE’S WORLD. The curated festival will serve as their hometown album release show and will feature a supporting roster assembled by the band, including Madball, E-Town Concrete, Vein.FM, 200 Stab Wounds, Pain Of Truth and many more. Get more info and tickets –HERE
The Abovefrom Code Orange drops September 29th via Blue Grape Music. Pre-order it –HERE
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