Damon McMahon, better known as Amen Dunes, has announced his upcoming album, Death Jokes. The album marks the New York indie-pop artist’s sixth album, and first since 2018’s Freedom. Ahead of the album, Amen Dunes has shared the song “Purple Land,” on which, he ponders his existence, and examines the fragility of life.
“’Purple Land’ is one of the album’s interstitial character portraits: first of a child, then the narrator, and then of an empowered figure as they all navigate and find liberation from the disconnection and disenchantment of an uncertain world,” said McMahon in a statement. “It begins first as a song to my daughter about life on earth, offering platitudes, warnings, and guidance through its various stages, until it becomes a reflection on the narrator’s own uncertainties as he moves through the world, ending finally with a character Rhea Anne who exemplifies liberation from it all in a moment of simple reckless freedom, as the beat drops in the final minute of the song.”
Since the release of Freedom, Dunes has been through the wringer. He dealt with COVID-19 for a large part of 2020, which resulted in lingering respiratory issues. According to a press release, Dune had 21 planned collabs fail, which then prompted him to change his direction. He moved from Los Angeles to Woodstock, New York, collaborated with a small group of producers and instrumentalists, and the result manifested into Death Jokes. In support of the album, Dunes will embark on a small tour across North America and Europe. Tickets are available for purchase here.
You can listen to “Purple Land” above and see the Death Jokes artwork, tracklist, and tour dates below.
1. “Death Jokes”
2. “Ian”
3. “Joyrider”
4. “What I Want”
5. “Rugby Child”
6. “Boys”
7. “Exodus”
8. “Predator”
9. “Solo Tape”
10. “Purple Land”
11. “I Don’t Mind”
12. “Mary Anne”
13. “Round the World”
14. “Poor Cops”
05/08 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/10 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
05/15 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
07/01 — Paris, FR @ Trabendo
07/03 — Berlin, DE @ Gretchen
07/05 — Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
07/07 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
07/09 — London, UK @ KOKO
Death Jokes is out 5/10 via Sub Pop. Find more information here.
