Pure Noise Records have announced they have signed the genre-bending solo artist Derek Ted. Today marks the release of his EP, Better Spirit,which melds traditional genres like folk and jazz with classic emo and shades of new-millennium pop, all filtered through the lens of modern production. Fans can stream Better Spirit below!
In addition to today’s release and signing announce, Derek Ted has released the music video for ‘Sew Me Up.’ This single tells a bit of Ted’s journey from San Francisco to LA.“This song is about friendship and almost like a love song for your best buds…This video was directed by my best friend (Kevin Patrick) and we used tons of old lo fi footage going back to the days of living in SF. I didn’t know it at the time … but we had been filming this video for the past 7 years.”
Better Sprit expertly blends both old-school and new-school sensibilities able to resonate not only across genres, but generations. “I wrote this record to pull myself out of my own darkness. It was a way to push through and find hope in a time when I felt like I had none” shares Ted. “I wanted this record to be the beginning of a new path for my songs…to let them live aesthetically in a place where they could be their biggest and shiniest form.”
Better Spirit Track Listing
The Moment U Arrive
Tired
Warning Signs
Sew Me Up
Easier
L U C K Y
Take It
Push Back
How U Gonna Live
While the underground influences that moulded Ted as a young songwriter are still tightly embedded in his DNA — namely, his ability to craft a heartbreaking, soul-searching lyric— Better Spirit, his debut album for Pure Noise Records, is closely aligned with his more timeless muses. He’s light years away from the screamo bands he used to front as a teenager, but his songs are no less emotionally resonant.