Black Pumas tell us about new album ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’: “It feels more like a second debut”

Black Pumas have announced their new album ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’ and shared  single ‘More Than A Love Song’. Check it out below along with our interview with frontman Eric Burton.

The duo – consisting of Burton and guitarist-producer Adrian Quesada – received critical acclaim and six Grammy nominations for their 2019 self-titled debut. The first taster of their follow-up comes with ‘More Than A Love Song’ – a song with Burton described as “the exclamation point on the initiation of mine and Adrian’s relationship in the first place”.

“That’s what we sound like, together when he is introducing music to me for me to then find the character or the moment to embellish and add colours to that initial canvas,” he said.

Now, the band are ready to truly show how far they’ve come on the long-awaited ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’.

“We were under pressure this time,” Burton told NME. “Being that it’s the dreaded sophomore album it was really heavy, I’m not gonna lie. It was also a fun process and very cathartic as well. We were very fortunate for the fact that when Black Pumas first started, Adrian had made a lot of the music beforehand.

“I also had the opportunity to share some of my own music with Adrian for the first project. This round, I had a lot more to do with the creation of the music outside of lyrics and melody.”

Burton noted how ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’ “feels more like a second debut” where “the handshake is almost reversed” between himself and Quesada, finding a new chemistry where his bandmate is now adding the finishing touches to his own creations.

“We got really lucky, because the music that was sent on Adrian’s behalf for me to finish for the first album was really beautiful,” said Burton. “Now, Adrian has kind of been tasked to embrace some of my really weird and interesting ideas as well as bringing back some of my older material.”

Black Pumas established some goals to achieve on their second album, seeking to “put something out that solidified the fact that we belong here”.

“We’re thankful to be put in such a position that is being interjected in conversations with some of our favourite artists,” Burton said. “Ultimately, we wanted to make our peers proud, as well as continue to put out what is resonating with us. We’re happy to see that it’s resonating. Some of our friends have heard it and are proud of us. So we’re excited to share.”

Burton previously said that the creation of Black Pumas’ second album felt more like a metamorphosis for him. He shared that he was able to exercise his capacity to become a chameleon on the first LP, but this was a new process for him.

“On this album, I’ve become a different kind of recording artist. My ideas and thoughts on the production, the music behind the songs and the messages within the song close the coagulation of all of those aspects of the process,” he explained.

He continued: “It’s been a huge undertaking, and it was really hard for me to do. This was my first time experiencing making an album to this degree. Thankfully, I have some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever collaborated with, as well as one of the most talented producers that I’ve ever worked with. What a perfect umbrella of talent to cultivate the artist, especially as it pertains to doing it in the studio.”

There was a moment during their 2021 Grammy performance of ‘Colors’ in which Harry Styles was caught on camera singing along to the track word for word.

“I mean to see Harry Styles singing our song… None of us noticed anyone singing along or clapping while we were performing, we just wanted to get in and show the industry and the organization how much we were just stoked to be there and to be able to perform,” said Burton.

“It was really amazing to see him enjoying it. The HAIM sisters were really enjoying it as well. It was nice to have the validation of your peers in any way, shape or form. It’s the highest praise, because these are the people who experience the same ups and downs as it pertains to creating art on such a level. That moment was such a great validator for the journey that has been just coming up with material and presenting this Black Pumas brand.”

Last year, the duo ended up canceling their tour and have yet to hit the road. Explaining the situation, the frontman shared that tour exhaustion was the main cause for the hiatus.

“With us for how quickly our success happened, I believe that it was really important for our team to ensure that we were taking every opportunity to capitalize on the movement by sending us out to different cities and countries around the world at this point to play as many quality experiences that we could for the growth of the brand as well as the stability of it,” said Burton.

“We, as a group, feel like we will only get so much time in an attention span to solidify our place in the heart and psyche of the average music listener. For how hard we went, it was just time for a break. When we went home, it felt like the body telling the mind like that it’s just done. It almost felt like a kid fighting sleep. At some point you have to take a step back.”

Now, Burton said that he was only too aware of how Black Pumas have some big shoes to fill. From getting their start busking on the streets of California and Texas to having their debut nominated for Grammy awards within three years, Burton said that their journey is “still surreal”.

“I’m not sure that I’ve truly processed it already, especially for how fast our climb has been happening,” he said. “I’ve been singing and performing for quite some time and I’ve just kind of kept my head down and have been running to the finish line that is the completion of this album.

He added: “Now that we’ve concluded the second album, I’m taking a step back and I realise how exhausted I’ve been to make it. It has felt really nice to kind of just get in touch with family and friends and just get re-established. I have a relaxed place of mind to be as  just an everyday pedestrian that isn’t tasked to be such a rock and roll soldier in cultivating some of these ideas.”

‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’ is set for release on October 27. ‘More Than A Love Song’ is out now. Pre-order the album here. Check out the tracklist below:

‘More Than A Love Song’
‘Ice Cream (Pay Phone)’
‘Mrs. Postman’
‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’
‘Angel’
‘Hello’
‘Sauvignon’
‘Tomorrow’
‘Gemini Sun’
‘Rock And Roll’

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