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Photo: JAMES LYNDSAY

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William Phillips, who goes by the stage name “Tourist”,  is no stranger to the world that a good rave track can materialise for a listener. He fell in love with the genre through pirate radio transmissions and club sound systems and has spent the last 11 illustrious years of his career traversing the broad spectrum of electronic music. Recently playing at festivals such as Glastonbury, Days Like This, Coachella and selling out shows of his own in North America and Europe, Tourist is unstoppable. He’s shown off his unshakeable talent and love for music through his established writing credits and collaborations with artists such as Deftones, Wolf Alice, Avicii, Hozier, and Flume. His earlier work is youthful, energetic beats that force your body to move with them, such as tracks like Wild, which has amassed over 90 million streams.

With the release of his 2022 album “Inside Out” offering a personal look into Tourist’s own conflicts with simultaneous joy and grief, his new record is ready to offer us a new concept entirely.

Sticking to his roots, “Memory Morning” was created with an OP1 synthesiser, a laptop and a phone, and a goal to create an intimate blend of all his favourite genres and make it his own. Through the album, you get hints of psychedelic trances, melancholic shoegaze and submersive electronic tones. On creating the concept of this album, Tourist states: ““Memory Morning” is one of those albums that really took shape as I wrote it, I had absolutely no point of reference to start from, and that was equal parts liberating and daunting. Often my music draws from specific life events, but this album really lives in and was born from my imagination. I wanted to write something that felt like it whisked you away, an album that felt like a “place,” its own world, somewhere you might find new corners with each listen. It truly is the first album I’ve written that feels like the sum of all of my influences, I’ve a pop tendency in my heart and I think “Memory Morning” doesn’t shy away from those instincts. Fundamentally, it’s inspired by dreams, memories and all those in-between experiences that are sometimes better expressed through music.”

The journey of this album begins with “Lifted Out”. The intro to the song is a twinkling and uplifting use of keys and scattering vocal samples, providing a wholesome dreamscape of scenes to wrap yourself into. “Lifted Out” embodies its title with a sense of spiritual ascent. Shimmering synths and rhythmic thrums build a foundation, but it’s the gospel-inspired vocalisations that truly define the experience. These voices, fragmented and soaring, evoke a feeling of being swept upwards, pulled towards something transcendent. The effect is both disorienting and strangely comforting, mirroring the complex beauty of losing oneself in a moment of ecstatic release.

“A Little Bit Further” opens with a lucid, dreamy vocal sample of “Song For Wilde” by Mark Fry, where the lyrics “March on my brother, go that little bit further,” are mumbled over the top of a soft acoustic guitar. The build-up of the song pulsates steadily, wrapping its roots around you and humming with energy until a beautiful explosion of vibrancy unfolds into an ecstatic daydream.

“Memory Morning” offers the best of both worlds, with tracks you can lose yourself in, alongside moments of lyrical connection through songs like “EST”, “Valentine”, and “A Little Bit Further”. Whether you’re one to jam out in your bedroom, or prefer to share the experience with your friends, this album delivers a perfectly balanced experience of both singable anthems and pure instrumental vibing.

“Valentine”, which was the fourth single released for the new album, premiered on BBC Radio 1’s Future Sounds, and was aptly named the “Tune of the Week”, followed up with a music video featuring a group of synchronised swimmers. This track is already a stark contrast to the previous ones, instead of whimsy, I felt a sense of false hope, desperation for something not quite within reach. The visuals of these swimmers piercing through the water, twisting, and turning, were almost like a tranquillity fighting against the words “I want, I need, your love.”

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“Siren”, a track that first captivated listeners when it debuted in late September 2020, finds its place among the mesmerising line-up of this album. Its ethereal essence remains a standout for me. Echoing chimes traverse through the mind, intertwining with delicate whispered vocals that ensnare the senses. The liquid rhythm of drumbeats seamlessly merges with each layer, permeating the very essence of the song. As it reaches its climax, the experience is akin to being drawn into a euphoric trance, surrendering to a lucid journey of sound.

As “Siren” dissolves into silence, with faint birds chirping in the opening seconds and a delicate weaving of the lyrics “Afraid of my love, lost in my mind,” “Ithaca” is a track that has lingered in my thoughts since the first listen. The title could be a nod to the homeland of legendary hero Odysseus from ancient Greek mythology, evoking a sense of longing and introspection. In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca is fuelled by his love and longing for his wife, Penelope, mirroring the track’s exploration of fear and uncertainty surrounding love. The lyric “lost in my mind” can be linked to the introspection and mental struggles Odysseus faced on his journey home. He encountered numerous challenges and temptations that tested his resolve and forced him to confront his own fears and desires. Throughout the track, the listener is immersed in floral tones and the twinkling of running water that gently closes out the song, creating a serene and reflective experience reminiscent of Odysseus’s journey home.

“Blink” is the briefest track on “Memory Morning”, yet it encapsulates an unequivocally immersive experience. In its span of 3 minutes and 29 seconds, the song effortlessly drew me into a different state of mind while I found myself subconsciously nodding my head along to the subtle electronic drumbeats. As an extension of the previous track, “Ithaca”, the familiar sounds of singing birds weave their way through the track, lingering until the final note softly dissolves into silence. This enchanting interlude leaves a lasting impression, making “Blink” a delicate yet memorable moment on the album.

On the track “EST”, the hypnotic repetition of “every single time” becomes a mantra, compelling the listener to confront their own patterns and outcomes. Is it a statement of joyful reassurance, emphasising that things consistently work out “every single time”? Or does it carry a sting of frustration, a sense of being trapped in a cycle of disappointment where failure happens “every single time”? Tourist leaves the interpretation open, urging us to look deeper into ourselves and question whether our own “every single time” reflects achievement or resignation.

“Memory Morning”, serving as both the title track and the album’s outro, takes us on a final uplifting journey. It begins with an ethereal electronic high hat and synth intro that immediately draws me in, then transitions to a rich, layered drum beat and melodic synths that evoke a sense of ascension. Vocal chops throughout the track add depth and personality, hinting at a story the song wants to share with us but can’t quite get the words out, so it communicates with music instead. In the last minute, the track slows down, and the mix creates a distant feeling, as if you’re watching the final few seconds of the album being played from across a long and shadowed room, which leaves you with nothing but reflection and introspection. Almost playing as a gentle reminder to you as the listener, that everything will be okay.

My take away from this album was a glimmering portrait of realms and emotions that can only be described in the music Tourist creates. Every single track stands out as their own tale, their own world of possibilities. “Memory Morning” is an album I envision encapsulating all of its visitors.

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UK / EU HEADLINE TOUR

April 25 – Berlin, Germany – Frannz Club (SOLD OUT)
April 26 – Prague, Czech Republic – Kasarna Karlin
April 27 – Warsaw, Poland – Niebo Klub
May 2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg OZ (SOLD OUT) 
May 3 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje (SOLD OUT)
May 4 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Bird
May 9 – Bristol, UK – Trinity Centre (SOLD OUT)
May 10 – London, UK – Roundhouse (SOLD OUT)
May 11 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
May 16 – Paris, France – Trabendo
May 23  – Glasgow, UK – King Tuts (SOLD OUT)
May 24 – Edinburgh, UK – Cabaret Voltaire (NEW DATE ADDED)
May 25 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall (VENUE UPGRADE)
June 21-23 – Ireland – Beyond the Pale
July 12 – Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive

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ALBUM TRACKLIST

Lifted Out
A Little Bit Further
Valentine
Siren
Ithaca
Blink
EST
Second Nature
Crush
Memory Morning 

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Follow TOURIST
WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – SOUNDCLOUD – BANDCAMP

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Press Release 19th April 2024 (below) HERE

TOURIST
shares new album
‘MEMORY MORNING’
out April 19

VIA MONDAY RECORDS

Listen HERE

Global Tour selling fast

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AMNPLIFY – DB