BLOND IN CAR “Altavan” (Albatross Pictures)
Add Date: 10/10/2023
Release Date: 10/13/2023
FCC: Clean
Focus Tracks: Famous Friend, Nice and Mean, My High Gummygirl
Formats: Non-Comm AAA, Submodern, NACC Top 200, Electronic and Chill
RIYL: Mitski, Pet Shop Boys, Cults, Beach House
Danceable synth-pop debut album Altavan to be released October 13, 2023 Instantly memorable...a wistful pop delight! – UNDER THE RADAR
Cinematic, lush soundscapes... a captivating indie pop reckoning with heartache. - ATWOOD
Blond in Car, the musical nom de guerre of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Robin Schorr, has released the new single and video “Famous Friend,” the lead single of her debut album Altavan, due to be released October 13.
Equal parts hooky, funny and lacerating, Schorr writes “Famous Friend” about the “peculiar poison” of the semi-glamorous LA she uniquely knows. “Having spent most of my life in West LA with kids from fancy families and working for years in film, I’ve always been fascinated by the conditional love of that eco-system and the crazy different standard of behavior surrounding famous people. I had been carrying these observations around with me for years so it was a relief to get it off my chest. I still get shocked by the way the famous person carries the promise of excitement but is almost always disappointing, and the way we all jockey for proximity like little kids at a birthday party.”
One of the joys of “Famous Friend” is the contrast of this gimlet-eyed view set against the almost innocent, hazy dreampop sweetness of Blond in Car, but Schorr’s gift at happysad is in full force here with her trademark hooky melodies, layers of airy harmonies and bumping beat.
“ALTAVAN”
Blond in Car has earned millions of worldwide streams, critical applause, and a fast-growing rabid following on Tiktok for her lush, synthed-out take on modern indie pop. Blond in Car now makes its full-length debut weaving irresistable melodies with pungent lyrics, lush arrangements, and pillowy vocal blends, all filtered through Schorr’s singular perspective and musical inspirations.
Songs like the album’s first single, retro charmer, “Secret When You See One,” and single, “Famous Friend” are loaded with the prettiest of sun-dappled pop hooks while still tinged with a quintessentially LA strain of reflective melancholy, Schorr’s astute lyricism framed by dynamic beats and irrepressible energy. Born of pluckiness, ingenuity, and a deep-rooted desire to find meaning in the modern world, Altavan is an exhilarating introduction to Blond in Car’s genre-blurring creativity and exquisite songcraft.
A native Angeleno, Schorr seemingly had it all – a successful marriage, a loving family, and an enviable career in the film industry, yet somewhere in the back of her mind, she somehow knew she had not truly found her purpose. Revelation struck one sunny afternoon as Schorr listened to country radio while driving on Olympic Boulevard – she was going to become a songwriter.
Adopting the moniker Blond in Car – Schorr’s single film credit, which like her Hollywood career itself, was left on the cutting room floor – she set to work with producer Brendan Ferguson Moore. Taking the lessons she’d learned in Nashville, Blond in Car proved remarkably productive, releasing a series of monthly singles that drew more than 1.5M streams for such fan favorite tracks as “Climb Inside Your Mind” and “Another Girl,” the latter of which was named “Today’s Top Tune” by Los Angeles’ renowned KCRW.
Alas, Blond in Car hit a roadblock in 2020 when Moore opted to leave Los Angeles following lockdown.
Now fully at the wheel as the sole member of Blond in Car, Schorr began collaborating with producer Gabe Lehner (9 Theory), pushing the project towards even greater heights with her remarkable debut album, Altavan. Named for Altavan Avenue, in the Westchester neighborhood near LAX where Schorr grew up, the album is a self-described “love/hate letter to LA” in which the songwriter grapples with the still-potent Southern California dream, its myths and metaphors, all with insightful wit, unsparing honesty, and conspicuous positivity.
ALTAVAN stands as a testament to Robin Schorr’s passion, focus, and unwavering commitment to Blond in Car, its luxuriously crafted sound and vision heralding the arrival of a gifted new singer-songwriter and future diamonds still to come. Having discovered her purpose at last, Schorr is determined to drive herself and Blond in Car as far as she possibly can, with nary another moment to waste.