Dana and Alden Detail New Album, ‘Papa’s Boat’

Following its cheeky unveiling on social media last week, Oregon-born, Brooklyn-based brother duo Dana and Alden officially announce their new album Papa’s Boat, out August 14th via Concord Jazz, and share the project’s lead single. “Lee’s Greenhouse,” the first offering from the new album, features genre-bending savant Mei Semones and opens up this free-wheeling new musical chapter for Dana and Alden.

“Lee’s Greenhouse” is an agile jazz instrumental track dotted with flares of Brazilian samba rhythms and Semones’ soft vocals that serves as an introduction to the expansive global footprint of Papa’s Boat. In true Dana & Alden fashion, the song speaks to the wistful, spontaneous experiences the duo have had when approaching the world with an open heart. “Lee’s Greenhouse” is an ode to an eccentric, kombucha-fueled farmer named Lee that Dana met while working as an organic farm inspector in Oregon. The song is accompanied by a new music video directed by Weston Borg and starring the full band, Mei Semones and in his music video debut, the McGolrick Park Tai Chi Man.

Named endearingly after their late maternal grandfather, Dana and Alden’s new album is imbued with their Papa’s wanderlust spirit as it musically traverses the places he travelled, memorializes moments from his life and channels his eclecticism. Papa’s Boat was recorded across London, New York and Brazil, with the duo taking musical cues from each of the album’s spiritual homes. With the guidance of Yussef Dayes, Gilles Peterson and Marcos Valle on their recording trips, the duo infused the various soundscapes of their travels into an eclectic musical concoction that draws elements from indie rock, samba, bossa nova, jazz, rap, pop and more. The album was made with the duo’s backing band, all of whom were key collaborators and producers on Papa’s Boat: Andrew Mitchell on bass, Ebba Dankel on vocals and keys, Eli Torgersen on vocals and guitar, and Salim Charvet on sax and synths. The album was masterfully engineered by Malcolm Catto at his Quatermass Sound Lab studio in Dalston.

That globe-trotting collection of influences gets woven into a tight-knit musical community on Papa’s Boat, with the duo prioritizing tactile connection and leaning on the teachings of friends to further expand their musical knowledge. Led by the jazz prowess of Dana’s saxophone and Alden’s drums, the album features a cadre of musician friends new and familiar, including Brazilian legend Marcos Valle, Melanie Charles, Mei Semones, Zaza Desiderio, Cinya Khan, Mirella Costa and many more. Thematically, Papa’s Boat simultaneously commemorates the life of Dana and Alden’s Papa as an influential figure and guiding light in the duo’s lives, while also capturing his lust for life in this record, channelling it into a universal experience to be shared.

Alden explains about his grandfather:

“I think so much of what Alden and I are doing comes from just watching him live his own unique life. His emboldened, passionate personality gave us permission to be our own selves, to be unconventional and draw outside of the box.”

Upcoming Dana and Alden Live Dates:

7/31-8/2 – Newport, RI @ Newport Jazz Festival
8/7 – Katowice, Poland @ OFF Festival

Papa’s Boat Track Listing:

1. Lighthouse (feat. EBBA)
2. Trick Dog (feat. Eli Torg)
3. Summer Nights
4. Napa 86
5. Friendship is a Boat (feat. Marcos Valle)
6. Milk and Honey (feat. Melanie Charles)
7. A Lullaby Flew Through My Window
8. Lee’s Greenhouse (feat. Mei Semones)
9. My Normal Life
10. North Star
11. Inthistogether (feat. Cinya Khan)
12. Good Kid
13. El Gaucho (feat. Marcos Valle, Mirella Costa and Zaza Desiderio)
14. Randy
15. A Broken Cup (feat. Melanie Charles)

Dana and Alden ‘Papa’s Boat’ album artwork