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Apr 05, 2022 By Caleb Campbell

Last year, Canadian musician Art d’Ecco shared his sophomore album In Standard Definition, recalling the heyday of glam rock touchstones like David Bowie or T Rex. This year he’s back with a new record, After The Head Rush, out June 24th via Paper Bag Records. Described as an “ode to the audacity and playful cynicism of growing up,” the record was inspired by a return to his hometown and a reconnection with the music of his youth.

As Art d’Ecco explains, ”Returning home as an adult, after being away almost 20 years - before all the travel, touring, and living - put a spell on me. It had me constantly framing and reframing the memories, moving emotional goalposts to better suit my current needs. Asking myself ‘are you happy? Is life everything you hoped and dreamed it would be?’”

After The Head Rush finds him reckoning with these questions while rediscovering full-throated ‘80s pop maximalism. With a newly massive and sparkling sound, Art d’Ecco set out to revive the potent pop core of artists like Tears for Fears or Peter Gabriel. In addition to announcing the new album, today Art d’Ecco has also shared his latest single, “Only Ones,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

Art d’Ecco’s latest single introduces a new, leaner sound, while still retaining the colorful streak and swaggering style that has always run through his music. He once again sounds larger than life, backed by a bouncing rhythm section, bursts of saxophone, shimmering synths, and delightfully fuzzy guitar licks. With “Only Ones,” Art d’Ecco’s trademark glam rock stylings meet stomping pop heights, and the results are simply spellbinding.

The accompanying video sports a similarly lean yet striking aesthetic, with Art d’Ecco trading in his glammed-up outfits and black bob for a new bleached blonde look. He explains of his latest style change, “I’m in my mid-30s now so I felt like the glammy outfits and makeup etc just became a barrier and a distraction that no longer served any value or purpose. I want to perform in my own skin as me, ya know? I feel free, for the first time in my career and I’m not hiding anything or trying to make any grand statements with costumery.”

Check out the song and video below. After The Head Rush is out June 24th via Paper Bag Records.