premiere: boulevards’ “surprise” will absolutely melt you

Boulevards’ Jamil Rashad has a gift for crafting songs that blend killer hooks and propulsive grooves with a vibe that’s always raw and unexpected. His latest is the almost impossibly hot “Surprise.” Dropping at the peak of winter, you can practically see the steam rising up from the screen. The new single looks back to the early 70’s but shares the unfiltered energy of Boulevards’ best work that betrays his punk roots.

Rashad tells us: “On Electric Cowboy I wanted to make some modern funk that the kids would enjoy, but still have some soul elements and some punk elements. That’s what I’ve always aimed to do since the beginning, since writing my first song, but I had to make all those other records and go through all that stuff to get to this point. A lot of artists come out hitting with that first record, but for me, I had to take those risks and take those chances to get to where I am now.”

“On the cover you see a Black man on a horse running away from his demons. That’s me. You can hear it all in the songs – struggling with demons and still coming out on top of it all. That’s what funk is! You got some heavy, dark shit, but you also got some joyful compositions, funky basslines, dope harmonies, infectious hooks. So that’s me on the cover, the Electric Cowboy, slaying anything that comes in my path. I gotta keep riding, keep trucking, keep fighting, keep pushing.”

Catch Boulevards’ upcoming live dates:

March 11 — Macon, GA — Hargray Capitol Theatre
March 12 — Savannah, GA — Savannah Stopover Festival
March 14-20 — Austin, TX — SXSW Music Festival

And stay tuned for Electric Cowboy dropping February 11th.

Follow Boulevards @imboulevards for more.