Danceable synth-pop debut album Altavan to be released October 13, 2023
Instantly memorable…a wistful pop delight! – UNDER THE RADAR
Cinematic, lush soundscapes… a captivating indie pop
reckoning with heartache. – ATWOOD
Blond in Car, the musical nom de guerre of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Robin Schorr, has released the new single and video “Nice and Mean.” The track is the latest single off her debut album Altavan, due to be released October 13. Watch and share the video here
“I was in a pissed-off mood actually when I started this song and it just poured out of me,” says Schorr about the origin of “Nice and Mean.” “Why is it so difficult for people to just say something nice, particularly if they are thinking it. I think It’s lazy, cowardly and actually mean to let yourself just swallow that stuff. If you see something wonderful in someone, tell them.” Agitated is not usually the mood that governs the hazy dreampop world of Blond in Car, but Nice and Mean is full of Schorr’s trademark hooky melodies, incisive lyrics and bumping beat.
Blond in Car has earned millions of worldwide streams, critical applause, and a fast-growing following for her lush, synthed-out take on modern indie pop. Blond in Car now makes its full-length debut weaving irresistable melodies with pungent lyrics, lush arrangements, and pillowy vocal blends, all filtered through Schorr’s singular perspective and musical inspirations. Songs like the album’s first single, retro charmer, “Secret When You See One,” and the upcoming single, “Famous Friend” are loaded with the prettiest of sun-dappled pop hooks while still tinged with a quintessentially LA strain of reflective melancholy, Schorr’s astute lyricism framed by dynamic beats and irrepressible energy. Born of pluckiness, ingenuity, and a deep-rooted desire to find meaning in the modern world, Altavan is an exhilarating introduction to Blond in Car’s genre-blurring creativity and exquisite songcraft.
A native Angeleno, Schorr seemingly had it all – a successful marriage, a loving family, and an enviable career in the film industry, yet somewhere in the back of her mind, she somehow knew she had not truly found her purpose. Revelation struck one sunny afternoon as Schorr listened to country radio while driving on Olympic Boulevard – she was going to become a songwriter.
Adopting the moniker Blond in Car – Schorr’s single film credit, which like her Hollywood career itself, was left on the cutting room floor – she set to work with producer Brendan Ferguson Moore. Taking the lessons she’d learned in Nashville, Blond in Car proved remarkably productive, releasing a series of monthly singles that drew more than 1.5M streams for such fan favorite tracks as “Climb Inside Your Mind” and “Another Girl,” the latter of which was named “Today’s Top Tune” by Los Angeles’ renowned KCRW.
Alas, Blond in Car hit a roadblock in 2020 when Moore opted to leave Los Angeles following lockdown. Now fully at the wheel as the sole member of Blond in Car, Schorr began collaborating with producer Gabe Lehner (9 Theory), pushing the project towards even greater heights with her remarkable debut album, Altavan. Named for Altavan Avenue, in the Westchester neighborhood near LAX where Schorr grew up, the album is a self-described “love/hate letter to LA” in which the songwriter grapples with the still-potent Southern California dream, its myths and metaphors, all with insightful wit, unsparing honesty, and conspicuous positivity.
ALTAVAN stands as a testament to Robin Schorr’s passion, focus, and unwavering commitment to Blond in Car, its luxuriously crafted sound and vision heralding the arrival of a gifted new singer-songwriter and future diamonds still to come. Having discovered her purpose at last, Schorr is determined to drive herself and Blond in Car as far as she possibly can, with nary another moment to waste.
Track listing for Altavan
1. Secret When You See One
2. Simple Equation
3. Famous Friend
4. Nice and Mean
5. Terrible to Break
6. Something to Simplify
7. Her Perfume
8. My High GummyGirl
9. Words For Snow
10. Short Hello and a Long Goodbye
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