The golden-haired guitar god Cody Simpson made quite a splash back in 2015 with his sophomore album Free and its corresponding international tour that sent millions of teenage girls into a frenzy for several months. Following the afterglow of Free, Simpson told DuJour that he wanted to keep things low key for a bit and focus on his music. The now 20-year-old Australian musician has since parted ways with his mega-manager Scooter Braun (who has worked with Justin Beiber and Ariana Grande) and signed with super talent agency ICM Partners, managed by Maverick Management, who represents Paul McCartney, G-Eazy and Miley Cyrus, to name a few.
Simpson has been celebrated for his easy-breezy beach pop sound since his first big break in 2009 from an unassuming acoustic rendition of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. His guitar chops and fresh-face caught the attention of Braun and the rest of YouTube but since then, he’s been on a musical journey to find himself and his most authentic sound.
Simpson has just announced that he’s returning to us with a new musical project called Cody Simpson & the Tide. With a string of west coast tour dates just released, fans can experience Simpson’s resurgence to music exactly where the musician was inspired to form his new band The Tide, in California. “A grand visitation of creative inspiration arose when I spent my summer in Venice Beach. Practicing guitar, surfing and writing poetry and songs in the streets of vibrant Southern California, I was met with an intense surge of musical and literary energy. I conceived a band, The Tide,” Simpson explains. “The Tide, acts as a sonic exemplar of flow and fluidity. The way of nature. Guitars, rock and surf music, psychedelia, transcendence from everyday bourgeois consciousness. A project that could encourage fellow youth to strive for the state of flow I experienced that summer. A fluidity that the ocean’s tide exemplifies so flawlessly,” he says of his goal for Cody Simpson & the Tide.
His black and white musical teaser videos hint at a more mature voice coupled with his trademark guitar, amplified. A grittier vocal is matched by Simpson’s electric musicianship, played over film noir-style cinematic visuals. Check out the exclusive teaser below.
West Coast Tour Dates:
*non-ticketed shows
October 17: Anaheim, CA @ Parish Room at HOB
October 18: Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
October 13: Los Angeles, CA @ Peppermint Club*
October 19: San Diego, CA @ Irenic
October 22: San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew
October 23: Santa Cruz, CA @ Atrium at Catalyst
October 24: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
October 27: Los Angeles, CA @ Peppermint Club*
