American Aquarium have given fans another taste of new music ahead of their highly-anticipated new album, Chicamacomico. The band’s latest single “Wildfire” is a laid-back, soulful and raw examination of a fiery romance reaching its peak. Although those flames of passion may burn bright, they often disappear just as quickly as they arrived, leaving behind only a trail of smoldering ashes to sift through.
“’Wildfire’ is a song about someone coming along and simultaneously fulfilling and destroying your life,” frontman BJ Barham says in a statement. “The destructive kind of love that burns fast and bright and serves as a lesson for future relationships. The kind of love that teaches you the definitions of unfathomable joy and catastrophic collapse at the same time. These are the relationships that you never want to end but know they must. The kind of love that, for better or worse, leaves its mark on you forever.”
“A single spark on the summer plains / Ignites the dark into a field of dancing flames,” he sings. “We gave in to the simplest of desire / And watched that spark turn to wildfire.”
“We have all had these moments. We have all lost these moments,” Barham continues. “I wanted to capture the experience in a song, and I’ve always loved the imagery of fire. This cleansing destruction that teaches us to grow back stronger.”
Listen to American Aquarium’s “Wildfire” below:
“Wildfire” is the latest pre-release track from the band’s upcoming record Chicamacomico, due out June 10 via Thirty Tigers. The LP was fully funded by fans via an online crowdsourcing campaign in just under 46 hours after the campaign’s launch. The band recorded the project in November 2021 at Sonic Ranch, the world’s largest residential recording studio, which is located in Tornillo, Texas. In April, the group shared the track “All I Needed,” which explores the healing power of hearing the right song at just the right time.
American Aquarium will kick off their Chicamacomico Tour with a headlining performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on June 17, which includes an opening set from Hailey Whitters. The band has a busy touring schedule set for the remainder of the year, with tour dates scheduled across the U.S. through the end of September. You can find a full list of tour dates and additional ticketing information at American Aquarium’s official website.
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