Today marks the release of ANONYMOUS, the fifth album from singer/songwriter/producer blackbear. Released via Beartrap/Alamo/Interscope Records, ANONYMOUS finds blackbear bringing a new level of vulnerability and truth-telling to his hedonistic brand of alt-R&B.
“There were hints in my earlier albums of who I really was, but I had a wall up,” says the Daytona Beach, Florida-bred artist. “The wall’s been torn down for ANONYMOUS. I’m calling it that because I want to take the ego out of the process. I wanted to make a human album, by a real person, not hide behind the character of this sad ‘blackbear’ guy.”
The follow-up to his 2017 album cybersex, ANONYMOUS continues to showcase blackbear as an effortless songwriter with a keen ear for melody, a knack for distilling complicated ideas into tight lyrical spaces, and a relentless perfectionist who prizes technical excellence as a producer and mixer.
As a visual accompaniment to ANONYMOUS, blackbear will soon release a three-part mini-movie featuring videos for the previously released singles “SWEAR TO GOD,” “DEAD TO ME,” and “HATE MY GUTS.” Directed by Aidan Cullen — the 19-year-old photographer/filmmaker known for shooting the Converse x JW Anderson campaign at age 15 and for creating videos for artists like Omar Apollo — the narrative short film explores the power struggles inherent in blackbear’s relationships with women.
Track listing for ANONYMOUS by blackbear:
1. PINK ROLEX
2. HATE MY GUTS
3. DRUG DEALER
4. SWEAR TO GOD
5. MAKE A MESS
6. SICK OF IT ALL
7. CHANGES
8. HIGH1X
9. DOWN
10. BURNT AF
11. HEARTBROKEN
12. 1 SIDED LOVE
13. LOSING YOU
14. ITS ALL GONNA BURN
15. DEAD BALLOONS
16. TOO CLOSE
17. DEAD TO ME
18. NYLA
blackbear has also just announced dates for his upcoming dead 2 the world tour, featuring Elohim as support. Kicking off on May 16 in Vancouver, the North American headline run continues through June 23 in Las Vegas. In addition, blackbear will appear at Bonanza Campout & Music Festival, Moonrise Festival, and Breakaway Music Festival later this year.
Tour dates for blackbear:
4/26 – New Britain, CT @ Central Connecticut University
4/27 – Washington, DC @ George Washington University
5/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theater
5/17 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
5/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
5/20 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
5/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
5/23 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
5/24 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
5/25 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
5/26 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore
5/30 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
5/31 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
6/1 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy
6/2 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
6/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
6/6 – New York, NY @ Rooftop at Pier 17
6/7 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
6/9 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
6/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theater
6/14 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
6/15 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
6/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
6/17 – Kansas City, MO. @ Uptown Theater
6/18 – St. Paul, MN @ Myth Live
6/21 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
6/22 – Helber City, UT @ Bonanza Campout & Music Festival
6/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
8/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Moonrise Festival
8/23 – Columbus, OH @ Breakaway Columbus
8/24 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Breakaway Grand Rapids
Find out more about blackbear online on his official website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and SoundCloud.
Stream and download = ANONYMOUS by blackbear here.
Comments