The Frigthnrs formed to repurpose 1960’s Jamaican rocksteady for the modern day, and they are extending this mission with their latest release More To Say Versions, out Oct. 20 via Daptone Records.
The album contains deconstructed dub remixes of every song from the Queens band’s 2016 debut album Nothing More To Say. The release is bittersweet, as it marks a reunion of the band with Nothing’s producer Victor Axelrod — with the notable exception of Frightnrs’ lead singer Dan Klein, who tragically passed away in June 2016 after a battle with A.L.S at the age of 33.
Today, the band shares “Purple” off the new dub album that held a special place to them, “especially to Dan.” The new version offers a completely fresh vibe thanks to Axelrod’s retooling, but Klein’s fingerprints still remain throughout.
“‘Dan’s vision of ‘Purple’ called for some out-of-the-box thinking when fleshing out the riddim,” the band tells Billboard. “Victor Axelrod actually folded time and space upon themselves in order to make the dub version, we didn’t know he had that power until ‘Purple.’”
The dubbed track is truly a marvel with its new open, ethereal atmosphere and woozy piano flourishes recycled from the original. Klein’s voice is the showcase though, leaving an indelible mark on the track, as his lofty falsetto hovers over the rest of the production.
More To Say also gives a chance for the band to revisit their previous work and add more clarity to the album. In the case of “Purple,” the true meaning actually helps to add some necessary brevity to a song with deep-but-unintended interpretations.
“Although many people assume from the lyrics that Dan wrote this song about struggling with his illness, they in fact were about a lull in his love life, where he would find solace in one particular strain of ‘purple remedy,'” the band reveals.
The song and its accompanying album are fitting tributes to Klein and prove the timelessness that served as the initial inspiration for the band will continue to endure.
Check out the dub version of “Purple” before More To Say Versions is released on Oct. 20 via Daptone Records.