WATCH: Shonali Shares Video for “Up All Night”
New solo album, One Machine At A Time, out on July 26th
After teasing its existence in the form of YouTube shorts from fellow comedians Har Mar Superstar, Jon Glaser, John Roberts, Tim Heidecker and Katina Corrao, onetime Ultrababyfat member Shonali Bhowmik returns with her second solo album.
Entitled One Machine At A Time, this is a genre-bending record that illustrates Shonali’s unique experience as an Indian woman living in Nashville, Tennessee. Each song on the forthcoming LP dives into the depths of her life through an intrinsic blend of sonic styles and genres that plays out like a well-curated mixtape.
But as she explains, One Machine At A Time is largely rooted in the emotional journey the artist, who is also a member of the NYC indie rock outfit Tigers & Monkeys, embarked upon following the passing of her beloved father, Dr. Dilip Kumar Bhowmik.
“A year to-the-date, after losing my father in 2022, I came to the realization I had to share my music with the world again,” she says in regards to the creation of One Machine At A Time. “My dad always encouraged me to take risks, to be true to myself and to ‘go for it.’ In an effort to embrace his wisdom, there was little thinking to be done; I went for it. Once I made the decision to record a new full-length release everything came together quickly. I had a stockpile of demos recorded on my GarageBand which I suddenly realized were worth sharing with the world. I left New York City to go record in Atlanta, Georgia with my OG musical family, friends with whom I formally started my musical career. In July 2023 in Peoplestown, Georgia, I sat with my insanely talented producer friend Dan Dixon, drummer Darren Dodd (along with other talented friends K. Michelle DuBois, Shannon Wright, and Jeff Holt) and recorded my album.
“The result of our therapeutic time together is One Machine At A Time, an album which combines aspects of all the music I am inspired by – indie rock, soul, psychedelic and retro sounds of the 70s, 80s, and 90s along with the folk singer-songwriter and country influences of my time growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. It takes you on a journey through many genres, one of my BFF’s asked his 24-year-old nephew to listen… to which he said ‘this is really fucking good. It’s like a different genre for every song.’ Another one of my favorite quotes comes from a friend who said ‘there’s something retro feeling about these songs that tug on my heart strings in the best way…without feeling retro or dated, if that makes any sense.’
“As the daughter of Indian professors who immigrated to the United States during the Civil Rights Movement and a woman who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, I have always been drawn to stories that amplify voices minimized by mainstream media outlets – so here I am pushing myself to be louder and prouder. I considered sharing my music under a pseudonym, but realized that this album reflects my personal journey – pondering the meaning of our lives (including past loves), the state of our world, where love of machines has taken over love for each other, and the celebration and difficulty of life.
“My name is Shonali (pronounced Show-nalley.) I am a southern girl with Indian parents, who has been recording my songs on a tape recorder since childhood. My first doll was named Johnny Cash. My goal is connection – our goal should be connection – and I continue to be unable to resist the need to share my voice. It’s my hope that this album fills in the gaps musically, sonically and emotionally for those who feel like they are watching life from the outside in.”
And while the album itself isn’t due out until July 26th, Rock & Roll Globe is proud to premiere the official video for its lead single “Up All Night” today on the site.
“At this point, I’m on a mission to continue to make every aspect of sharing this album a celebratory occasion,” she explains of the clip to the new song, which sounds to me like Le Tigre covering The Cars. “So asking Eleanore Pienta, who directed the video for ‘Up All Night,’ was a no brainer. She is the definition of celebration! She’s an actor, director, comedian, dancer, performance artist – yeah – we are all multi-hyphenates. She and I are long time friends who initially met through the comedy world. She’s a member of the incredible dance group Cocoon Central Dance Team (along with Sunita Mani and Tallie Medel.) I was especially blown away by watching one of her one-woman shows at Under St. Marks years ago – in which she’d shared some of her brilliantly kooky films. Our heads came together simultaneously regarding me just letting GOOOOO for this video! We are soul sisters when it comes to silly dancing. So we spent an afternoon at Wyckoff Windows Studios in Brooklyn with the goal of having a blast and our mission was accomplished. You can’t help but feel the joy of Shonali and Eleanore in this new video. Honestly, if you don’t – what’s going on with you? Ha!”
Watch the joyous video for “Up All Night” below and pre-order One Machine At A Time here.
VIDEO: Shonali “Up All Night”
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Great song Shonali!! I really liked it! Congratulations !!! Sending my sincerest condolences for your Dad, may he Rest in Peace 🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️. He was one of the coolest uncles in our community. Sending you Love and prayers.