Holly Herndon New Album PROTO Released Today

“PROTO is as avant-garde as we’ve come to expect from Herndon’s wild and mighty brain, tempered by plenty of beauty and harmony.”  
DJ Mag – Album of the Month
“Remarkable, futuristic and otherworldly, but brimming with character, the most striking feature about this notionally digital album is how soulful it sounds.”
The Times – Album of the Month ****
“A.I. and IRL in pop harmony.” The Guardian ****
“If PROTO‘s central question is what are we heading toward, the answer must be a coming together.” The Quietus – Lead Review
“A notable work of art.” The Skinny – Album of the Month *****

Holly Herndon’s third full-length album PROTO is out today. Previously released tracks include the vocal tour de force of ‘Frontier’, the skittering beatbox of ‘Godmother’ [featuring Jlin and Spawn], and the euphoric ghostly transmission of ‘Eternal’.

PROTO isn’t about A.I., but much of it was created in collaboration with her own A.I. ‘baby’, Spawn. In addition to Spawn, Holly assembled a contemporary ensemble of vocalists, developers, and guest contributors (Jenna Sutela, Jlin, Lily Anna Haynes, Martine Syms) to create a record that encompasses live vocal processing and timeless folk singing, and places an emphasis on alien song craft and new forms of communion.

PROTO makes reference to what Holly refers to as the protocol era, where rapidly surfacing ideological battles over the future of A.I. protocols, centralised and decentralised internet protocols, and personal and political protocols compel us to ask ourselves who are we, what are we, what do we stand for, and what are we heading towards?

Since her arrival in 2012, Holly has successfully mined the edges of electronic and Avant Garde pop and emerged with a dynamic and disruptive canon of her own, all while studying for her newly completed PhD at Stanford University, researching machine learning and music. Her LP Platform closed out 2015 by gracing year-end lists from Pitchfork, The Guardian, NME, and The Wire. In the aftermath, Radiohead hand-picked her to open up their European tour.

A hybrid of studio project and touring band, Herndon’s live show will incorporate an expanded vocal ensemble and a newly developed A/V experience.

HOLLY HERNDON 2019 TOUR DATES:
May 16 – BROOKLYN, NY, Red Bull Music Festival – Pioneer Works
May 18 – LOS ANGELES, CA, Teragram Ballroom
May 20 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August Hall
May 22 – CHICAGO, IL, Thalia Hall
June 12 – MUNICH, DE, Kammerspiele
June 14 – BERLIN, DE, Volksbühne
July 19 – BARCELONA, ES, Sonar By Day – SonarHall
July 20 – MANCHESTER, GB, Manchester International Festival
October 16 – LONDON, GB, The Barbican

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