Stream: Big Black Delta, ‘Steer the Canyon’

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Big Black Delta in November at the Teragram Ballroom (Photo by DAvid Benjamin)
Big Black Delta in November at the Teragram Ballroom (Photo by DAvid Benjamin)

It’s been a long road for Jonathan Bates en route to his second album as Big Black Delta. From suffering the deaths of his father and one of his best friends, to being victimized by gear thieves who looted his storage unit, to keeping up with the promises he made during his fan-funding campaign, it sometimes looked as if the deck was stacked against him. Finally, there’s a light — in this case, perhaps, an exploding strobe — at the end of the tunnel. Bates announced that “Tragame Tierra” would be out April 22, about five years since the Mellowdrone frontman (and M83 collaborator) self-issued “BBDLP1” (which would get retooled for a proper release as “Big Black Delta” in 2013). The latest teaser single is “Steer the Canyon,” which finds Bates firing from his arsenal of synths almost as a guitarist would play a solo. Along with the previously released “It’s OK” and “RCVR” (the latter a seemingly improbable collaboration with Debbie Gibson), Bates is riding high on his nu-nu wave.

||| Stream: “Steer the Canyon” and “Kid Icarus”

||| Live: Big Black Delta plays May 27 at the Constellation Room and May 28 at the Regent.