Today, following months of anticipation, The Motet has officially released their latest studio album, Death or Devotion. The new record marks the band’s first release since 2016’s Totem. Last night, the Denver, CO seven-piece—comprised of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), Lyle Divinsky (vocals), Drew Sayers (sax) and Parris Fleming (trumpet)—previewed Death or Devotion for their hometown fans with a free surprise album release show at Cervantes‘. Now, they’ve unleashed the 10-track LP for funk fans in the Mile High City and beyond to get down to.
Since The Motet’s inception in 1998, the funk collective has released eight full-length albums and toured the country relentlessly, playing hundreds and hundreds of shows from coast-to-coast. Death Or Devotion, however, marks the first Motet studio effort in which newer members Lyle Divinsky, Drew Sayers, and Parris Fleming were all involved with all aspects of the upcoming record, from writing to recording and, finally, mastering and preparing for release.
The Motet also made a conscious effort to examine a broad swath of themes with the new material. As Divinsky tells Live For Live Music, “Death or Devotion is a unique exploration of the human experience and what it means to be alive in the present day, with themes of love and love lost, political and community introspection, and, of course, an all-out party. On this record, we want to push the envelope of what you’d expect from a typical funk band.”
You can listen to the new album from The Motet in full below.
The Motet – Death or Devotion – Full Album
To mark today’s release, The Motet also shared a hilarious promo clip that not-so-subtly borrows from the infamous Fyre Festival trailer. The parody video even names The Motet as “Pablo Escobar’s Favorite Band” as the album’s funky title track plays in the background. You can watch the Fyre-inspired Death or Devotion promo video below.
The Motet has a busy 2019 winter tour ahead of them as they begin to bring Death or Devotion to the stage. You can see a list of upcoming winter tour dates below, or head over to the band’s website for more information.