Healing Potpourri, is the musical project of Simi Sohota, they recently announced their new LP Paradise, will drop on August 5th via Run For Cover Records (Camp Cope, Horse Jumper Of Love, Narrow head). The album finds the multi-artist’s sound moving in new directions while collaborating with co-producer Sean O’Hagan (of Stereolab and The High Llamas) and engineer Jason Kick. Today the band have shared Paradise’s second single, “What Do I Do Now?” The track follows “Wind.”

Healing Potpourri’s music specialize in effervescent chamber pop that’s all but guaranteed to leave the listener in a better mood. But on their new LP, Paradise, the Oakland-based band led by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Simi Sohota offers more than just sonic escapism. The album, written and recorded over the past two tumultuous years, finds Sohota processing the often overwhelming deluge of stress, frustration, and despair that’s become a part of modern life. But rather than being completely deflated, he pushed Healing Potpourri’s sound in new directions, blending warm electronics and elements of vibrant psychedelia into something that’s as eclectic as it is instantly enjoyable. The result is 11 songs that seek to imagine a better world and strive to make it a reality, while also still taking the time to appreciate the moments of brightness that can shine through in hard times.

From Simi Sohota:

“When Covid hit, like a lot of people, I got depressed and scared,” Sohota explains. “Our record had just come out but we couldn’t do anything. We weren’t able to get together or play shows. So many people were talking about suddenly having free time to work on things and be creative, but I just wasn’t playing music at all.” After a few months, he decided to combat his creative rut by booking studio time with producer/engineer and longtime friend Jason Kick (Mild High Club, Marinero, Sonny & The Sunsets). “I was just trying to force myself out of it so I started going to the studio with Jason once a week. And it worked! I would bring in fragments that I’d be working on at home and then we would start arranging in the studio. We couldn’t get the whole band together so a lot of it was smaller by necessity.”

That purposely tighter circle did have room for one more: producer Sean O’Hagan. Known for his work in Stereolab and The High Llamas, the London-based musician would soon become a key collaborator on Paradise over Zoom. “I’m a huge fan of The High Llamas and I’d reached out to Sean back when we were working on Blanket of Calm,” Sohota says. “We weren’t able to make it happen then, but I got in touch again for this record and he ended up helping tremendously. Jason and I would work on a song and send it to him, he’d add something to it and then we’d get inspired by that. It became this back and forth process. I’ve been so obsessed with his music so it really was working with a hero of mine, but he helped coach me to make a record that sounded like me.”

Healing Potpourri
Paradise
tracklist
Run For Cover Records

1. Truly Good
2. Wind
3. Free
4. What Do I Do Now?
5. Sticky
6. Paradise
7. Terry
8. Last Place
9. Fireworks
10. Here
11. Something New

Pre order Paradise by Healing Potpourri HERE