Geographer’s New Jersey EP, Upcoming Tour with Manatee Commune

Los Angeles based indie artist Geographer released his EP New Jersey on March 22nd, including “Summer Of My Discontentment” and his second single “Love Is Wasted In The Dark.” Geographer has also announced his upcoming spring tour with special guest Manatee Commune. Fronted by Grant Eadie, Manatee Commune will join him throughout the various dates on the coast-to-coast run, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Chicago, Washington, D.C, New York, and more.

The namesake of Geographer’s new EP is inspired by songwriter Mike Deni’s own upbringing in the state. While this is not his debut album— he previously released Innocent Ghosts, Myth, and Ghost Modern along with three EPs over the last 10 years— this newest release takes his sound to a distinctive range in experimentation.

Harmonious and dissonant piano chords strike sharp as the first notes on “Love Is Wasted In The Dark,” with Deni’s voice chiming in right afterward. About the track, Deni explains, “This is a song about feeling like you’re unworthy of someone’s love. It is a sort of a modern ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ with the dominating emotion being melancholy instead of egotism. I like the title very much because the first line is ‘your love is wasted in my heart’ which makes darkness and his heart the same thing.”

The theme of emotional desolation soars through the rest of the track. There’s something soulful in the way synths keep in time with Deni’s voice echoing each word. The heaviness of lyrical poise with an otherworldly construction creates an eerie ambience reminiscent of scenes from Interstellar or Gravity, a strange but lovely mix of hope and desperation. In culmination with the rest of the EP, “Love is Wasted in the Dark” stands as its anthem and true revelation.

Geographer’s tour with Manatee Commune starts May 18th in Portland, Oregon at Holocene. Check out his full itinerary below.