Exclusive Premiere: The Rocket Summer Ascends to New Sonic Heights With ‘Same Air’

Bryce Avary knew he didn't want to make another Rocket Summer album – at least not one like anybody had heard before. And since he is the Rocket Summer, that meant all he could do was push himself far beyond his creative (and geographical) boundaries.

When the Texas-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist finished touring in support of his fifth full-length, 2012's Life Will Write the Words, Avary made a conscious effort to step away from the upbeat indie pop that brought the Rocket Summer a veritable army of die-hard fans. Instead, he decided to follow his most aggressive and experimental impulses.

"I didn't want to make a sappy record," Avary said. "I wanted to make a record that sounded like doors being kicked down and bombs going off." So he rented a small house in California's Laurel Canyon and essentially didn't emerge for a year – not until he had amassed a huge cache of genre-bending material for the Rocket Summer's upcoming sixth album.

"'Same Air' was one of the first songs I recorded during the process of writing and recording upwards of something around 40 to 50 songs in my studio," he told us. "I think, because of that, it's a good song to bridge the gap between the previous albums and the new album which is considerably the most adventurous, 'no rules' album I've been fortunate enough to make yet."

Avary explained that the song – which simultaneously evokes the likes of Foster the People and Justin Timberlake – is about togetherness on a global scale. "At the root of it, the song was written as an attempt in my own heart to have an allegiance to everyone amidst the anger and bitterness that can tempt me with how severely messed up this place and we all can be," he told us. "I wrote it during a brief moment of clarity where I was seeing beyond all the garbage and saw how every soul looks similar to mine: unpleasant, flawed, good, related."

Pre-order the album today and get "Same Air" tomorrow (before the digital release on Friday). You'll also soon be able to catch Avary in his natural environment (on tour) in November. Check out those dates below.

The Rocket Summer Tour Dates

11/3 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
11/4 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
11/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar & Theater
11/7 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
11/12 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
11/13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
11/14 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
11/16 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
11/17 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
11/19 – Fresno, CA @ Strummers
11/20 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar