[Cover photo credit to Rosie Cohe]

With her fourth full-length album of original material, singer/songwriter Kendra Morris is inviting fans to take part in the DIY world of Next. Morris’ latest record for Karma Chief strips away the veneers layered production and slick sounds to create something that is “the imperfectly perfect now.” The single and video for “Something In Common” are out now.

Described as “a concept album in reverse,” Next ties Kendra’s cast of characters, including her band of guitarist Supremo “Premo” Massiv, bassist Monti Miramonti, and drummer Chauncey Yearwood, to a vintage board game.

Here’s a further description:

Travel along Next’s block-to-block journey, and this universe reveals itself as a mosaic of corals, creams, and pale lilac tiles. You can hear the sonic palette resonate with Morris’ influences and inspirations. Decades of New York sounds and voices bend and blend at the seams of these tracks—a world where the Brill Building and Warhol’s Factory thrive on the same block while Blondie and the Frightnrs explore rocksteady sounds. Doo-wop and boom-bap soundtrack a UHF network’s worth of cut-and-paste stylings, all the while paced by Morris, an artist equally at home behind the lens as she is in front of a microphone.  

Morris says about the album:

I’ve been living in this record for over a year. I’ve always been a writer, and [Next] was a chance to write a record from scratch on my own.

Recording done at Portage Studios in Loveland, Ohio, and additional vocals recorded at Kendra Morris’ Brooklyn apartment.

KENDRA MORRIS 2025 TOUR DATES

Aug 30 Sat – Music on the Mountain – Boise, ID

Aug 31 Sun – Oak Harbor Music Festival – Oak Harbor, WA

Sep 4 Thu – Hopscotch Music Festival – Raleigh, NC

Sep 7 Sun – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC

Sep 10 Wed – Kendra Morris at Atomic Lounge – St. Louis, MO

Sep 11 Thu – Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL

Sep 12 Fri – Loveland Stage Company – Loveland, OH

Sep 13 Fri – Ohio PawPaw Fest – Albany, OH

Sep 14 Sun – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern – Cleveland, OH

Sep 17 Wed – The Southern Cafe and Music Hall – Charlottesville, VA

Sep 18 Thu – DC9 – Washington, DC

Sep 19 Fri – World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA

Sep 20 Sat – StageOne at FTC – Fairfield, CT

Sep 21 Sun – The Music Hall Lounge – Portsmouth, NH

Sep 26 Fri – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY

[additional dates to be announced]