Grails’ Emil Amos Goes Hip-Hop on ‘Lonesome Traveler’

Between his tenure as a drummer in Om, Grails, and Lilacs and Champagne, and as a singer / guitarist in Holy Sons, Emil Amos easily stands as one of experimental music's most enduring presences. And yet, 20 years and 50 releases in, he's yet to go it alone under his own name. That's set to change this June with the release of Filmmuzik, the luminary's first proper solo album.

For the most part, the record finds Amos assimilating distinctive palettes of each of the aforementioned projects: somber pianos, Middle Eastern-inflected psych, pummeling backbeats, eerie, ambient melodies. Holistic as the project may be, though, there are still ample surprises. Take "Lonesome Traveler," which we're premiering today. Amos steps out of the ashram and into the nightclub to try his hand at instrumental hip-hop, peppering a standard drum beat with choral samples, droogy guitars and overwhelming, moribund synths. It's pretty damn grim, as far as bangers go — and pretty damn great, as well. Listen below.

Emil Amos' Filmmuzik LP is out June 2 via Pelagic Records. Pre-order it here.