WEST COAST LIVE DATES IN JUNE; STREAM THE LIES AFTER LOVE EP HERE: https://drama.lnk.to/LiesAfterLove

Chicago duo DRAMA, comprised of vocalist and writer Via Rosa and producer Na'el Shehade, release their new Lies After Love EP today, alongside the video for single "Majid". At the end of last month, DRAMA teased the video in an interview with the FADER, who referred to the band as "sleek and dancey....and the kind of cathartic release that usually accompanies a good cry session."

On the video, DRAMA adds "The video is a love story about the depths one will go to get back someone they've lost. It's loosely based on the ancient legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the video we observe two lovers are having a binding ceremony to proclaim their love for one another. Soon after the girl is killed in a tragic accident and the boy is sent into a panic running around the city looking for someone to help bring her back to life. He finds a mystic woman with whom he trades his lover's ring for the opportunity to revive her. Only there's a catch. He's never allowed to lay eyes on her again. The story and the song both embody the same theme of happiness and tragedy at the same time. ". The video for "Majid" was directed by Shomi Patwary of Illusive Media (A$AP Rocky, Beyonce, Major Lazer, Mark Ronson, etc )

Both members of DRAMA carry considerable musical backgrounds individually. Born in Austin and eventually raised in California, Rosa's parents played in a reggae band well into her teens, and at 14, she began making music on her own: While she attended culinary school in Hollywood, her musical connections grew through friendships with Colin Tilley (who gave Rosa her first microphone), the Cataracts, and Young Stunna. Rosa eventually linked up with the THEMPeople and Savemoney collectives, moving out to Chicago in 2010 and releasing the DeathViaLove EP with THEMPeople in 2014.

The Chicago-born Shehade started DJ'ing before he even reached his teenage years and spent most of high school making music with friends, selling his first EP at the age of 16. Shehade went on to contribute to Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap, along with drum programming for Kanye West's remix of Chief Keef's colossal "I Don't Like"-but he yearned for a change in direction. Nicolas Jaar visited Shahede in the studio and encouraged him to put his own records out. He eventually came to meet Rosa while working on Jean Deaux's Soular System project.

Inspired in equal part by Rogers and Hammerstein's musical fantasias, Sade, Drake, world music, and David Bowie, DRAMA is the result of Rosa and Shehade's ability to create something truly fresh and engaging. 2016's Gallows EP paired Rosa's gorgeous vocals with club-ready motifs-and the new Lies After Love, the title of which Rosa describes as referencing "the affirmations and lies that people tell themselves to get over heartbreak," finds DRAMA crystallizing that aesthetic. "Gallows was about getting your heart broken," Rosa explains while discussing the process behind Lies After Love."This time, we were a little more strategic when it came to production and writing. We had more of a grasp on what the other person can and can't do. We just knew where to start with all the songs, so we weren't wasting time in the studio."

Lies After Love is available for stream / purchase worldwide today - link to stream below + live dates in June across the west coast + an appearance at Chicago's Mamby on the Beach. Watch for more news from DRAMA coming soon.

STREAM / PURCHASE LIES AFTER LOVE: drama.lnk.to/LiesAfterLove

WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR "MAJID" BELOW

READ THE DRAMA Q&A WITH THE FADER:
http://www.thefader.com/2018/04/27/drama-majid-lies-after-love