Rostam has released a new single called '
Back of a Truck', taken from '
American Stories', which arrives on 15th May through his own Matsor Projects label in partnership with Secretly Distribution. Blending Americana with traditional Persian music, the track was co-written alongside Tobias Jesso Jr. and features electric saz from Amir Yaghmai and pedal steel from Daniel Aged.
Speaking about the song, Rostam said: "'Back of a Truck' is about that feeling of being reminded of someone you used to know; hearing that song on the radio—or maybe it's the smell of laundry that brings you back, then smiling to yourself and wishing them well, choosing to remember it in a way that lets go of the bad and holds on to the good. Musically I wanted to make a song that captures the feeling of driving through America with your windows down. Putting elements next to each other that I had not heard together before. Country Pedal steel next to Middle Eastern microtonal melodies. It feels like the America I know, and for that reason, it's the centerpiece of the new record."
A music video accompanies the release, directed by Antony Muse and featuring Milo Cassidy and Offering Rain in a queer love story set during a road trip from New York City to Provincetown, MA.
Ahead of the album's arrival, Rostam will present advance screenings of American Stories: A Concert Film at two locations. Shot at the legendary Sound City Studio A, the film captures Rostam performing eight songs live with his six-piece band, with Muse again directing. Anthology Film Archives in New York hosts the first screening on 5th May, with Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles following on 11th May. Both events feature a Q&A with Rostam and Muse alongside a live performance, with tickets available now.
An extensive run of North American tour dates follows throughout late May and June, with a handful of European shows scheduled for September. Tickets for all dates are on sale now.
The dates in full read:
MAY
27 Music Box, San Diego, CA, US
30 The Ford, Los Angeles, CA, US
JUNE
3 The Chapel, San Francisco, CA, US
5 Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC, CA
6 Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR, US
7 The Crocodile, Seattle, WA, US
9 Neurolux, Boise, ID, US
10 The State Room, SLC, UT, US
11 The Gothic Theater, Denver, CO, US
13 Fine Line KCMP/Electric Fetus, Minneapolis, MN, US
14 Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL, US
15 The Opera House, Toronto, ON, CA
17 The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA, US
18 Webster Hall, New York, NY, US
19 Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, US
20 9:30 Club, Washington DC, US
22 Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC, US
23 Terminal West, Atlanta, GA, US
24 Basement East, Nashville, TN, US
26 Mohawk, Austin, TX, US
SEPTEMBER
8 Village Underground, London, UK
9 La Maroquinerie, Paris, FR
12 Berghain Kantine, Amsterdam, NL
13 Privatclub, Berlin, DE
15 Nalen Klubb, Stockholm, SE
