Natural Born Leaders — News — Victory Lap Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

QUIP PREMIERES EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN OF NATURAL BORN LEADERS’ SOPHOMORE EP ABOMINABLE CREATURES

LISTEN: HERE

ALBUM TO DROP ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS OCTOBER 24

"With a sound that floats seamlessly between rock, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, funk and other styles of music, we at Live Music Daily have a hunch that everything is probably going to keep coming up roses for Natural Born Leaders." - Live Music Daily

“As expected, Martinez’s hard-hitting lyrics and booming delivery never wavers, nor does the surging energy and wildly impressive, never predictable arrangements behind him.” - Music Mecca

"With disorienting distortion on the guitar and saxophone, paired to an ebb and flow of tempo, the track illuminates just how far down the rabbit hole we’ve fallen. Contorted? Yes. Do we like it? Absolutely."
- Top Shelf Music

“Even in an era of countless cross-genre mashups and hybrids, the music of Natural Born Leaders is difficult to describe, and it resists pigeonholing...The complicated mix of styles works together musically far better than any description could suggest.” - Mountain Xpress

"In their relatively brief time as a band, Asheville’s Natural Born Leaders have created and refined a devastatingly effective sound that mixes heavy, funky guitar rock with frontman Mike Martinez’s tough, confident raps." - Greenville Journal

Asheville, NC (October, 23, 2019) - Be among the first to hear Natural Born Leaders’ sophomore EP Abominable Creatures in its entirety today on Quip. With stirring momentum following the release of their NPR-featured single of the same name, Abominable Creatures highlights the quintet’s unique ability to "float seamlessly between rock, reggae, jazz, hip-hop [and] funk” (Live Music Daily) and exemplifies their wide-ranging influences from the old-school energy of Outkast and Lauryn Hill, to the head-banging nature of Metallica and Black Sabbath.

On their latest studio venture, Natural Born Leaders live up to their name; each track laced with empowering messages about standing up, standing out, and dreaming big. The first listen of Abominable Creatures, which Quip calls a “tug-o-war of genres” whose “story and message never get lost” comes ahead of the official release tomorrow, Thursday, October 24.

Ripe with some of the most revolution-stirring antics one can sneak into a six song collection, the new EP showcases lead singer Michael Martinez’s “lyrical flow, tenacity and grit” and brings listeners into their “world of Grade A groove, unique instrumentation, quality tone, and high energy” (Music Mecca).

With platinum producer and engineer Patrick Doyle (Jennifer Lopez, Handshakes), Grammy winning engineer Julian Dreyer (Steep Canyon Rangers, The Avett Brothers), and the mastering skills of Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica), Abominable Creatures comes complete with an all-star cast of collaborators.

With a fresh batch of tracks in tow, Natural Born Leaders are poised to reach the masses this year with their “masterfully crafted sound” (Music Mecca) and fiery presence on stage. Already several dates into their album release tour, a complete list of upcoming appearances is below. Physical copies of Abominable Creatures will be available for purchase at live shows, and digitally through streaming platforms starting October 24.

For more information about Natural Born Leaders, visit www.naturalbornleadersband.com.

For media inquiries, contact Danielle Dror (danielle@sabramusic.com) at Sabra Music.

Natural Born Leaders' Sophomore EP, Abominable Creatures, drops officially on all streaming platforms October 24.

Natural Born Leaders Album Release Tour Dates
10/23 - Columbus, OH - The Summit
10/24 - Louisville, KY - Mag Bar
10/31 - Johnson City, TN - Capone’s
11/2 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
11/9 - Athens, GA - Soul Bar
11/14 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
11/16 - Memphis, TN - The Hi Tone
11/20 - Denton, TX - Dan’s Silver Leaf
11/21 - Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn
12/14 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse*

*With Orange Constant

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From Top Shelf Music:

America is in a state of turmoil. Conflict. Confusion. Expand your horizons a bit past the border and realize that the rest of the world is quickly falling suit. What’s happening? Why can’t there be clarity in the chaos? Ever since the rise of terrorism, technology and political foul play, this nation — in particular — has been hit hard… struggling to regain a foothold of the old status quo. Whatever a status quo may mean these days, that is. Music has been a mouthpiece for the general public to either commiserate or invigorate others for change. Something’s gotta give. Enter a hip hop meets rock band out of Asheville, North Carolina with an overt social agenda. One, now that you mention it, who also has quite a literal name.

Natural Born Leaders isn’t afraid to hold back, evident in their sophomore EP out next month entitled Abominable Creatures. This six-song project, packed with social commentary, follows the band’s inaugural EP About Time and a life-changing contest last year. The genre-bending five-piece entered NPR’s prestigious Tiny Desk Contest with a live version of “Abominable Creatures”… and placed within the top 10. NBL performed the track in a tiny corner of a convenient store for their video submission to NPR, a tribute to lead singer Michael Martinez’s New Jersey roots, where he “used to count the days by nights and drive bys”. But, as the song’s lyrical content conveys, we’re all cut from the same cloth; humans err no matter the upbringing. Like Martinez is “only drinking liquor” when out of a “chalice”, society at large self-destructs through the very items that symbolize our success. Climb the ranks the best you can, yet always remember that face-planting on the ceiling hits just as hard as the floor. With disorienting distortion on the guitar and saxophone, paired to an ebb and flow of tempo, the track illuminates just how far down the rabbit hole we’ve fallen. Contorted? Yes. Do we like it? Absolutely.

Natural Born Leaders isn’t afraid to hold back, evident in their sophomore EP out next month entitled Abominable Creatures.

The contest results got NBL featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, enlarging their fanbase evermore and cementing their name as up-and-coming industry game-changers. Even before the radio spot, NBL’s sound garnered them the attention of platinum record holder Patrick Doyle (Jennifer Lopez, Earth Wind & Fire, Cory Rooney) to produce their first EP as well as Abominable Creatures, recording the latter between his private home studio and sessions at the band’s hometown Echo Mountain Recording Studio.

Martinez comments, “‘Abominable Creatures’ is about my association with time and progress in my life. And, like many of our songs, it serves as a reminder to me of how large or insignificant we all could be.”

With the EP’s release right around the corner on October 24th, Top Shelf Music is proud to host the world premiere of Natural Born Leader’s “Abominable Creatures” — the studio version. Yet, this is just a taste of what’s to come. For more information, visit the band links below after you enjoy the exclusive stream of the band’s latest single.