Officially released today, through Karma Chief/Colemine Records, the album is a sophisticated, playful and joyful reinvention and an unfiltered expression of Morris’ weird universe that sees her delving deep into the little details. “How do you put yourself into a record? I wanted to make it feel like you cracked open the ooze in my head,” Morris says. Fittingly, the album is an unvarnished self-portrait of Morris with all of life’s odd imperfections that captures the artist at the time of its creation.
The 11-song album pairs Morris’ towering and effortlessly soulful vocal with a sound that features elements of dusty funk, R&B and touches of indie rock. Thematically, the album at points touches upon the mundane conflicts of domesticity and cohabitation, the Butterfly Effect, her fear of flying and even an attempt to expand the birthday song canon among others.
Last month, I wrote about “What Are You Waiting For,” a seamless synthesis of Muscle Shoals soul, psych soul, and Spoon-like indie rock built around a gritty, swaggering groove and Morris’ sultry and effortlessly soulful delivery. The song is a bold and playfully defiant feminist anthem that champions self-reliance and realness above all.
“Dominoes,” I Am What I’m Waiting For‘s third and latest single continues a run of material that meshes elements of Muscle Shoals-era soul, psych soul and Spoon-like indie rock paired with a swaggering and strutting groove and Morris’ powerhouse delivery. But at its core is a playfully sardonic skewering of the conflicts of domesticity and cohabitation that points out that hell can often be other people — including those you love.
Created by Morris and Julia Haltigan, and filmed in Morris’ Brooklyn home on VHS tape, the video features her husband and adorable pasta-loving dog Jerry and stop motion animation by Morris. The video goes through some of the scenarios discussed in the song. And while you can empathize with the fact that the scenarios are infuriating, there’s also the tacit and knowing nod that love is also accepting your dearest one’s irritating habits and quirks.
Morris will be embarking on a lengthy tour to support I Am What I’m Waiting For, and it includes a September 23, 2023 stop at Union Pool. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
TOUR DATES:
9/6/23 – The Lyric Theater – Blacksburg, VA
9/7/23 – Black Iris – Richmond, VA
9/8/23 – Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
9/9/23 – Otis Fest – Macon, GA
9/10/23 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
9/13/23 – Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC
9/14/23 – The Southern – Charlottesville, VA
9/23/23 – Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY
10/3/13 – Het Depot – Leuven, BE
10/4/23 – Le Pop Up – Paris, FR
10/5/23 – Jazz Sur Son 31 – Toulouse, FR
10/6/23 – Gorila – Zaragoza, ES
10/7/23 – Loco Club – Valencia, ES
10/8/23 – Intruso – Madrid, ES
10/9/23 – Sala Upload – Barcelona, ES
10/10/23 – Iboat – Bordeaux, FR
10/12/23 – La Sirene – La Rochelle, FR
10/13/23 – Paul B – Massy, FR
10/14/23 – Le Forum – Charleville Meziere, FR
10/17/23 – Le Poche – Bethune, FR
10/18/23 – Blues Kitchen – Manchester, UK
10/19/23 – The Forge – London, UK
10/22/23 – De Oostepoort – Groningen, LA*
11/3/23 – 7th St. Entry – Minneapolis, MN
11/4/23 – xBk Live – Des Moines, IA
11/5/23 – Hideout – Chicago, IL
11/6/23 – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH
12/8/23 – Tellus 360 – Lancaster, PA
12/10/23 – DC9 – Washington, DC
12/14/23 – Motr – Cincinnati, OH
12/15/23 – Square Cat Vinyl – Indianapolis, IN
*supporting Lee Fields
