(artwork by Delbar Shahbaz; phot of Solvej Schou by Alex Godinez)

SOLVEJ SCHOU'S NEW FUZZ-FUELED ALBUM, QUIET FOR TOO LONG, WHICH DROPS TODAY
HAS BEEN NAMED LA WEEKLY’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK
The record release party June 27 at Café NELA features live performances
by Solvej Schou and her band, Bella Novela and The Letter Openers
Solvej will also showcase her ferocious vocals, lyrics and riffs
on KSPC 88.7 FM show Radio Realness on June 9

June 7, 2019 (Pasadena, CA) – Fierce feminist musician and writer Solvej Schou (SOUL-vye SKOH) releases her new album Quiet For Too Long today on limited edition red vinyl and digitally at CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. LA Weekly just featured the record as their Album of the Week, stating, "If your nerves aren't charged and tingling by the end, your emotions at tipping point, you aren't paying attention."

Schou will perform with her full band for her record release party on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at Café NELA in Los Angeles, and has invited Long Beach, CA rockers Bella Novela—acclaimed for their 2019 “lady rage” album Incinerate—and L.A. rockers The Letter Openers to also perform.

Schou will be interviewed and perform solo on the KSPC 88.7 FM (kspc.org) show Radio Realness, hosted by DJ diA, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, 2019.

On the album, intentionally timed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Congress approving the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, Schou dives into issues ranging from police brutality, anti-immigrant fervor, gun violence, gender equality and powerful womanhood to mortality, depression, love and David Bowie’s death. As a teen, Schou performed as part of the Riot Grrrl-led scene of female artists in L.A. and at cultural hub Regeneración. The six tracks on Quiet For Too Long are "America," "Age and Beauty," No One Can Take Our Love,” “Flicker Away,” “In A Minute” and “Stardust Hero (for David Bowie).” “ Quiet For Too Long is my expression of anger, defiance, feminist American identity and self after Trump’s election, and about not remaining silent,” says Schou.

“It's a record that reflects this current political climate: If your nerves aren't charged and tingling by the end, your emotions at tipping point, you aren't paying attention,” says Brett Callwood in his LA Weekly album of the week write-up of Quiet For Too Long. The record’s “distillation of frustration, sadness and occasional joy, alongside real world issues, into sheer poetry is a real gift, and a much needed one right now,” he says. “This is a record that lives with you long after you lift the needle.”

Personal, political, loud and passionate, Quiet For Too Long is filled with Schou’s soulful vocals and driving garage-y guitar, and also features talented Chelsea Jean Speer-Guzman on bass and back-up vocals, Eric Hasenbein on guitar and Bryan Bos on drums. The album was recorded, mixed and engineered in August 2017 at L.A.’s Station House Studio by Mark Rains, who recorded Alice Bag’s recent solo albums. The album was mastered by Marsh Mastering's Stephen Marsh (The Donnas, Ozomatli, Los Lobos) in Hollywood. Iranian feminist visual artist Delbar Shahbaz painted a bold and vibrant portrait of Schou for the cover.

Born and raised in Hollywood, Schou is half Danish and half Jewish-Polish, and the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. Now based in Pasadena, California, she has been singing since she was a kid, and has played solo and in bands (Bitch & Moan, The Lassiebeat, Racquet, Naughty Bird) in L.A., New York City and Copenhagen, Denmark. Hailed by Flavorwire for her “lightning riffs and hear-me-roar attitude,” she showcases a raw and bluesy rock 'n' roll vocal strut with guitar inspired by Janis Joplin, X, Pretenders, Etta James, PJ Harvey and Patti Smith. Schou released her self-titled debut album in 2014, followed by the 2015 single “Friendship.”

Schou’s experience as a writer includes former staff positions at The Associated Press and Entertainment Weekly to freelance work for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other outlets. She’s interviewed artists including Aretha Franklin, Brian Wilson, Karen O, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Ringo Starr and Jimmy Page. She contributed essays on Patti Smith, PJ Harvey and Sharon Jones to the 2018 book Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyoncé. Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl. She is on the steering committee of the new L.A. collective Turn It Up! seeking gender equality in music.

Find Solvej Schou online:
facebook.com/solvejschoumusic
twitter.com/solvej_schou
solvejschou.com
youtube.com/user/sistersaucysolvej

For press materials or to set-up interviews with Solvej Schou, please contact Fly PR: T. 323-667- 1344 E. flypr@flypr.net.


 

Bella Novela photo courtesy of the band.

The Letter Openers photo courtesy of the band.