Premiere: Cafe Racer Finds Stillness in New Single “Russian Blue”

Chicago’s neighborhood favorites Cafe Racer have been cooking up a new record for quite some time now, and it’s just about ready to reveal itself. Today, we’re happy to share the final single off Shadow Talk, the band’s upcoming third album due out May 8. Listen to “Russian Blue” below.

“Russian Blue” is a cut from the calmer side of Shadow Talk’s storm of reverberation. It’s a track that gradually reveals itself; layers of guitar rhythms slowly flood in, filling a pool of noise with a tint of psychedelia. Even so, the song settles into a stillness—a notable difference from the urgency of tracks like “Faces” and “Zenith”—maintained by the entrancing vocal harmonies and some delicate keys played at the close. It’s a slower, sweeter spell that enchants.

“‘Russian Blue’ was written [during] my first week of sobriety,” vocalist/guitarist Adam Schubert says of the track. “It was the only uplifting thing I could think at that time. I liked it ‘cause it made me smile.”

Shadow Talk is out May 8 via Born Yesterday Records. It’ll be a little before you can catch Cafe Racer live again, but you can preorder some wax and check out the full track list below.

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