Ray LaMontagne was the embodiment of his song "Hey, No Pressure" during a performance of the track for NPR's World Cafe on WXPN. Check out the session above.
"Hey, No Pressure" was the first single to be released off LaMontagne's 2016 album, Ouroboros. Co-produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James, the album veered farther into psychedelic rock with heavy guitar riffs than anything LaMontagne has done in the past. Later this year, Ray will be touring with the other 4 members of MMJ as his backing band, and you can see that lineup in the video above.
Stepping away from his folksy, singer-songwriter roots, LaMontagne equates the creation of the album to Peter Pan. As he told Entertainment Weekly in an interview, “If Peter Pan comes to your window and you try to tell him what you want to do or try to direct in any way, he’ll disappear. So that’s how I do it, I sit down and if it doesn’t feel right, then I just set it aside. I don’t force anything. I just let things happen.”
This mentality is ever present in this ethereal, other-worldly performance of the track. Led by LaMontange, the band sounds as if they're in the middle of a well-rehearsed jam session. On a dark stage surrounded by colored lights, this performance seems like it could have taken place on a space craft. Like a space ship capable of anti-gravity, this song and performance has a floating quality fitting of the attitude of it's composer.
"Hey, No Pressure" is all about not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed with the expectations of life. With lyrics, "Anything you want to be, you can be / Anything you want your life to mean, it can mean," while "Hey, No Pressure," is chanted throughout, LaMontagne is inviting the listener to take from the song what they will.
Ouroboros is available for purchase on Amazon. You can also stream the album and read our review here on Zumic.
For the latest music, news, and tour dates from Ray LaMontagne, check out his Zumic Artist Page.
Source: World Cafe YouTube Channel
