Rostam has officially announced his third studio album, American Stories, slated for release in May. This announcement follows a November reveal and is accompanied by the release of the lead single, "Like A Spark."

American Stories marks his first full-length release since 2021's Changephobia. According to Rostam, the album reflects his identity as both Iranian and American.

"At some point in making this record I realized the album I wanted to make was one that reflected my identity as both Iranian and American," he says. "Pushing the most Iranian elements right up against the most American ones brought me a certain kind of joy. The first time I put microtonal saz melodies over Western guitar chords, I was thrown off by the way the two rubbed together. But the more I listened the more I became drawn to that rub. I became addicted to it."

He also commented on the album artwork, stating, "The presentation of the flag upside down is something that the Left, the Right, and the Native American Land Back movement have all made use of. It’s a symbology that’s shared by all these groups and yet could mean different things to each of us. I’m interested in that conversation; that conversation is fundamentally American."

The self-produced record boasts an impressive lineup of collaborators, including Clairo on vocals, Yaghmai on saz, violin, and guitar, Daniel Aged on upright bass and pedal steel, Paul Cartwright on violin, Gabe Noel on cello and upright bass, Hamilton Berry on cello, Henry Solomon on flute and clarinet, Andrew Tachine and Joey Messina-Doerning on drums, and Tobias Jesso Jr. on co-writing duties for select tracks.

"Like A Spark" is accompanied by a music video taken from American Stories: A Concert Film, premiering later this spring. Check it out below:

Here are the American Stories tracklist and tour dates:

TRACKLIST:
01 "Like A Spark"
02 "Back Of A Truck"
03 "Different Light"
04 "Hardy" (Feat. Clairo)
05 "Forgive Is To Know"
06 "To Feel No Way"
07 "The Road To Death"
08 "Come Apart"
09 "The Weight"

TOUR DATES:
05/27 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box*

05/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford#*
06/03 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel*
06/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club!
06/06 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater!
06/07 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile!
06/09 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux*
06/10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room*
06/11 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theater *
06/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line KCMP/Electric Fetus*
06/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*
06/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House*
06/17 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair*
06/18 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall#*
06/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl*
06/20 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club!
06/22 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom*
06/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West*
06/24 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East *
06/26 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk*
09/08 – London, UK @ Village Underground^
09/09 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie^
09/12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Berghain Kantine
09/13 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub^
09/15 – Stockholm Nalen Klubb^

Zsela

• Henry Solomon
  ! Henry Solomon + Elori Saxl
  ^ Bad Actor
  Antony Muse

American Stories is out 5/5 via Matsor Projects/Secretly Distribution. Pre-order it here.

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