The Both Debuts “Volunteers Of America” At NPR

THE BOTH’S “VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA” VIDEO
PREMIERES AS NPR “FIRST WATCH”

NOW ON TOUR

SELF-TITLED DEBUT CONTINUES TO RECEIVE CRITICAL ACCLAIM

“Throughout the song and the album, each singer sounds freshened and energized—
never diminished—by the collaboration.”—NPR Music

“The Both represents the pairing of two great… talents who go great together.” —Rolling Stone

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

“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

“It isn’t just a collection of well-constructed tunes. It’s a unified album, in which sound is every bit as crucial as craft. Despite the formidable solo careers involved, The Both improbably sounds like the work of a band.”—Chicago Tribune

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

The Both’s video for “Volunteers of America” is now streaming at NPR as a “First Watch.” The duo is currently on tour to celebrate their critically acclaimed self-titled debut record, out now on SuperEgo Records. They recently performed on “Conan,” as well as “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Furthermore, NPR Music spoke to the duo for “All Things Considered” and featured them in their “Tiny Desk Concert” series.

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 15 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 Cant Help Me Now
7. The Prisoner
8. Hummingbird
9. Honesty is No Excuse
10. Bedtime Stories
11. The Inevitable Shove

THE BOTH TOUR DATES
August 27 Boise, ID Alive After Five at Grove Plaza
August 28 Bend, OR Courtyard of Athletic Club of Bend
August 29 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
August 30 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot Festival
August 31 Vancouver, Canada The Imperial
October 3 Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater
October 4 Boston, MA The Sound of Our Town Festival
October 5 New York, NY Modern Sky Festival, Central Park