Pedrum Siadatian, guitarist and vocalist from Allah-Las, has returned with his solo project Paint. Following his debut in 2018, Pedrum returns with his new single “Ta Fardah” of his forthcoming release Spiritual Vegas, the full-length is described as an opus that’s both idiosyncratic and focused, finding cohesion through diversity. The LP drops on July 10th via Mexican Summer.

“Ta Fardah” (Til Tomorrow) – sung in Farsi, it’s a nod to Siadatian’s Iranian heritage and a crate digger’s dream, channeling 70’s Persian funk.“The song is an ode to 70s/80s Iranian melodrama, with a video depicting a man falling in love with a TSA agent,” Pedrum explains. “Quarantine resulted in a homemade metal detector and security screening room.

Pedrum was joined once again by producer / engineer Frank Maston in the studio for Spiritual Vegas which features a rogue’s gallery of players with performances by Jackson Macintosh (TOPS, Sheer Agony) on bass and guitar, Nick Murray (White Fence, Oh Sees) on drums, and brothers-in-Las Spencer Dunham and Matt Correia on bass and percussion respectively.

The addition of extra talent in the studio afforded Pedrum the freedom to branch out both sonically and stylistically and injects Spiritual Vegas with a newfound energy, while preserving the warmth of his previous work with Ray Davies-smirks and Kevin Ayers-wit abound. The production is a clear departure from PAINT’s debut, with an increased clarity and tonal variety, drawing inspiration from 80’s/90’s art-rock like The Meat Puppets and The Magnetic Fields. Echoes of the beats William Burroughs and Gregory Corso can be heard in his lines, as Allen Ginsberg himself makes an appearance.

The title Spiritual Vegas was inspired by a visit to Bali, Indonesia, where Siadatian was struck by the juxtaposition of tourists seeking either Instagram enlightenment or Vegas-like debauchery. Is there really a difference? Awakening comes in many forms and as Siadatian intones on opener “Strange World,” “the moment you find laughter’s the key/ the sooner you’ll be free” — a fortune cookie philosophy for both the record and the world at large.