The Suffers released a music video for their new single, “Do Whatever” today, and it may or may not feature a cameo from yours truly. The song is the second single off their upcoming sophomore album, Everything Here, due out July 13th, the release date itself, 7/13, is an ode to Houston and its 713 area code. “Do Whatever” follows the album’s first single, “I Think I Love You”, released late in 2017, and its accompanying video is an ode to the post-6-o’clock release of working-class stress. We see the band in a corporate meeting room brainstorming team building exercises; the consensus is definitely not karaoke, but the band ultimately avoids a Michael Scott situation and learns to let loose. Something we could all probably do a little more of. Lead singer Kam Franklin’s lyrics are bursts of wisdom that come from experience, like having one of those really real late-night conversations with your best friend.
“It ain’t gotta be a weekend to find that joy that you’re seekin'”, sings Franklin, leading into the chorus: “Do whatever feels right, all night, alright? Alright!” It’s one of those timeless, irresistible grooves; one that you can’t help but dance to, and one that allows Franklin to show off her range as a singer. And whomst among us doesn’t like a good trombone solo?
Our schedules are crazy and we’re always on the move, so any chance I get to meet up with Kam and The Suffers is one I’ll always take. Kam invited me to the shoot and soon enough it was decided that we’d all split into teams for a karaoke battle; I wound up on keyboardist Patrick Kelly and drummer Nick Zamora’s team, which I thought gave me the advantage of being paired up with people who actually have rhythm. Somewhere in the archives exists footage of me milly-rocking to the music, we’ll have to bother director Nate Edwards for that clip haha.
The Suffers are the freshest thing going in soul music today, and, being that they hail from Houston, their style has been dubbed “Gulf Coast Soul”. So it should come as no surprise that when they released the 15-song tracklist for the album, it featured appearances from Southern legends Bun B and Paul Wall. Word on the street is that Bun and Paul’s features aren’t traditional rap verses, and, in fact, might involve zero rapping. The Suffers deserve all the co-signs.
Look for my cameo above at the 1:57 mark and check out the tracklist and stream “Do Whatever” below!
7/13/2018 (aka Houston Day!) we’ll release our sophomore album, “Everything Here” into wild via @ShanachieEnt. We’re excited to share the cover art and tracklisting with you all, and we will release more details as they come. pic.twitter.com/wEdUmLTOcJ
— The Suffers (@TheSuffers) March 23, 2018