The Both’s Aimee Mann & Ted Leo Release Album and Video For “Milwaukee”

“The project places the talents of the two artists in perfect harmony…”—The Los Angeles Times

“Aimee Mann and Ted Leo have combined their eloquent, slightly off-kilter songwriting powers…”—SPIN

“Coupled with Mann’s gift for a pop melody and Leo’s penchant for spiky, urgent guitars, the end result is a best-of-both-worlds situation.”—Boston Globe

The Both’s self-titled record is out now on SuperEgo Records. Already receiving critical acclaim, Rolling Stone asserts, “The Both represents the pairing of two great…talents who go great together,” while NPR Music praises “Throughout the song and the album, each singer sounds freshened and energized—never diminished—by the collaboration.” Additionally, Pitchfork premiered the video for their lead single, “Milwaukee,” and NPR Music recently featured the duo in their “Tiny Desk Concert” series. In celebration of the release, the duo will embark on a nationwide tour this spring. See full details below.

The Both is a collaborative project from critically acclaimed musicians Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. Building on a friendship forged while they were on tour together last year, it was Leo’s solo sets that piqued Mann’s interest in getting on stage with him and writing music together. Of the project, Mann notes, “Honestly, I feel like for the first time, I’m part of a rock band.”

The band’s all original songs were written as back-and-forth collaborations between Mann and Leo. With their differing musical vocabularies and mutual admiration for one another, the duo found working together to be a boon. “We were just like ‘Fuck it, let’s push and make it happen,’” notes Mann. “You really just have to go, ‘You know what, I have to trust that this other person’s instincts are good.’” Leo furthers, “I think as Aimee and I have gotten closer, we have realized how much in common we have and how much respect we have for what the other person does and what they’re bringing to the table. The writing process has largely been long distance, but it’s been line by line, verse by verse, part by part; we’ll send each other something and go back and forth until it’s finished.” The album was recorded in Los Angeles with Ryan Freeland, between stretches of touring in 2013, and produced by Mann’s longtime friend and band member Paul Bryan.

Mann began her solo career in 1993 with the album Whatever and made a name for herself through her independent success and the founding of her record label, SuperEgo. In addition to her solo work, she has appeared on many film soundtracks, composed the soundtrack for Paul Thomas Anderson’s much-lauded Magnolia and appeared as herself on the hit indie TV series “Portlandia.” The new collaboration follows Mann’s eighth studio album Charmer which received national attention.

Punk/indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leo is best known for his work with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists over the past fifteen years. His most recent album The Brutalist Bricks was released on Matador Records in 2010. Leo also kept up a consistent presence as a solo performer since the late 1990s and began playing with Mann in February 2012.

THE BOTH TRACK LISTING

1. The Gambler

2. Milwaukee

3. No Sir

4. Volunteers of America

5. Pay For it

6. You Can’t Help Me Now

7. The Prisoner

8. Hummingbird

9. Honesty is no Excuse

10. Bedtime Stories

11. The Inevitable Shove