''There’s A Place I Want To Take You'' is the second studio album by American recording artist

Kurt Travis Kurt Travis (born January 16, 1987) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace, and was formerly a ...

, released on May 17, 2019, through

Blue Swan Records William Swan (born December 5, 1985) is an American songwriter and musician born in Sacramento, California. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder and owner ...

and his own label, Esque Records. It also serves as a follow-up to his debut studio album, ''

Everything Is Beautiful "Everything Is Beautiful" is a song written, composed, and performed by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens's albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The childre ...

'' (2014). The album's lyrical content deals with heartbreak and emotional turmoil while, sonically, Travis pursued

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

-inspired songwriting, using elements of

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

, electronica,

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

, and

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

. It was produced by Mike Watts and recorded at VuDu Recording Studios in

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson (informally known as "Port Jeff") is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Officially known as the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, the population ...

, New York and features a guest appearance from singer-rapper Andrés on two tracks. The album was preceded by two singles. "Easy Peasy", was released as the lead single on April 16, 2019. The second single, "Best Way", was released on May 3. None of the singles were released to digital or streaming services until the day of the album's release. A headlining album release tour in support of the album, co-headlined with singer-rapper Andrés, took place in May and June 2019, with support from post-hardcore bands Makari and Adventurer.

Background

Kurt Travis released his debut studio album, ''

'', on May 14, 2014, on

, a record label owned by American guitarist Will Swan of the rock band

Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...

. Travis toured in support of the release in North America from May 14 to June 7, 2014, with support from American musical groups Hotel Books and So Much Light. Travis described ''Everything Is Beautiful'' as mixture of

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

, new wave, electronica,

, and R&B. The album was described as ambient and " DGD-influenced" by Sputnikmusic. The album featured collaborations with Joseph Arrington, who performed drums, and Zachary Garren, who performed guitar. His former

A Lot Like Birds A Lot Like Birds was an American post-hardcore band formed in Sacramento, California. The band released four albums and received considerable media attention from music sites. Since the release of 2011's ''Conversation Piece'', A Lot Like Birds ...

bandmate Cory Lockwood was also a featured vocalist on the album. In 2015, Travis launched his own independent record label, Eqsue Records, and signed a number of independent rock bands, whom he managed. In July 2015, he released a new song, "Switchblade", featuring Strawberry Girls. Travis announced his departure from A Lot Like Birds on March 2, 2016. The following year, he helped form the American

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

trio Eternity Forever, alongside Strawberry Girls drummer Ben Rosett and former

Chon CHON is a mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for ''c''arbon, ''h''ydrogen, ''n''itrogen, ''o''xygen, ''p''hosphorus, ''s''ulfur, r ...

bass guitarist Brandon Ewing. The group released one extended play (EP), ''Fantasy'', before departing the following year. Travis also formed the post-hardcore duo Push Over with

The Fall of Troy The Fall of Troy is an American rock band from Mukilteo, Washington. The band is a trio consisting of Thomas Erak (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Andrew Forsman (drums, percussion) and Tim Ward (bass, screamed vocals) who was later replaced by Fr ...

frontman

Thomas Erak Thomas Joseph Erak is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Mukilteo, Washington, best known as a founding member of the Seattle-based progressive mathcore band, The Fall of Troy and as a member of the band Just Like Vinyl; as well ...

. The same year, he joined the rock band Royal Coda, alongside former Stolas guitarist Sergio Medina and Joe Arrington; former Dance Gavin Dance bass guitarist Jason Ellis joined thereafter, becoming a four-piece. The band released their self-titled debut studio album, '' Royal Coda'', in April 2018.

Recording

Kurt Travis began to tease the release of ''There's A Place I Want To Take You'' on his website with artwork and merchandise, in 2016. In January 2019, it was revealed that Arrington was recording drums and percussion for the album. The album was recorded at VuDu Recording Studios in

Port Jefferson, New York Port Jefferson (informally known as "Port Jeff") is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Officially known as the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, the population ...

throughout a two-year period with producer Mike Watts and engineer Dominic Nastasi. Recording for the album finished on February 13, 2019. Travis wrote and performed lead and rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and vocals for the album while Royal Coda drummer Joe Arrington recorded drums and percussion. Matthew Tucker composed, performed synthesizers, recorded and mixed the track "Best Way". American singer-songwriter Andrés is featured on two tracks, "Too Much Space" and "Hometown".

Promotion

On April 11, 2019, Kurt Travis announced a tour in support of the album, which took place in May and June 2019, with support from American post-hardcore bands Adventurer and Makari. On April 16, he released the album's lead single, "Easy Peasy", accompanied with its music video. Another song, "Best Way", was released on YouTube on May 3, 2019.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

* Kurt Travis – lead vocals, composer, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar * Joseph Arrington – drums, percussion * Matthew Tucker – synthesizers, mixing engineer * Dominic Nastasi – audio engineer * Mike Watts – producer, mix engineer

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Kurt Travis albums Blue Swan Records albums