Desure Shares New Single 'Cocaine Smile'

Today, Los Angeles artist Desure shares new single "Cocaine Smile," produced by Cameron Duddy of Midland and Jonathan Tyler, from his upcoming Pollen EP. The single follows lead off track "Masochist" which Rolling Stone said, "Oddball Los Angeles singer-songwriter Desure is as louche as he wants to be...Driven by a disco-lite beat and funky bass, 'Masochist' conjures some forgotten, faded, burned-out era of Los Angeles nightlife that was powered by pills, porn, and parties." The Pollen EP will be released on November 20. Presave the Pollen EP here: https://stem.ffm.to/pollen

"Cocaine smile is a song I wrote about a friend of mine," explains Desure. "Her crooked smile as we danced and listened to records in her apartment. It's a love letter to a friend. It's the most simple moments between two people I run with and romanticize. Out comes songs like this.

"I wanted this song to punch you right in the face as soon as it starts. The drum fill starting it off right. The guitar riff into the first chorus. I felt it all sat perfectly and lent to the lyrics. The bridge was written in the studio with Jonathan Tyler and myself. It's turned out to be my favorite part of the song."

Stocked with songs that are every bit as colorful as the pink letters running across the record's cover, the Pollen EP finds Desure turning a new page. It's a sound that's every bit as diverse as his native Los Angeles, a town whose anything-goes spirit and melting pot of musical traditions - including alternative rock, West Coast pop, psychedelia, punk, and indie-folk - left a permanent mark on the songwriter. With this new record, he salutes those wide-ranging influences while also moving beyond them, chasing down a style that's adventurous, lushly Californian, and uniquely his own.

"When you grow up in L.A., nothing ever seems strange," Desure says. "Everyone's a freak! Walking down Melrose and going into record shops when I was a kid, I'd see people dressed really wildly, expressing themselves to the fullest. It was beautiful and hectic and exciting. I moved to Hollywood when I was 16, and the area still influences me to this day. It's a city that celebrates individuality and pushes you to explore it all. That's why I felt the freedom to make this record. Some songs may sound different, but it's because that's how I'm influenced."

Earlier this year, Desure shared the music video for his cover of Carly Simon's "Your So Vain" which Rolling Stone featured noting that, "[Desure] puts on a series of wigs and slays some flamboyant looks in the mesmerizing, gender-bending clip, nodding to his punk-rock origins and the anything-goes vibe of his Los Angeles upbringing... Where this depiction of a burly, bearded man dressing in wigs, makeup, and women's clothing could have scanned as cruel or crude, Desure took it the opposite direction and found some underlying pathos and beauty in his performance."

The Pollen EP will follow Desure's self-titled debut EP which, commenting on the "California songwriter's brand of music," Rolling Stone said, "his self-titled debut EP has one foot in both eras, mixing chill Laurel Canyon vibes with undeniable swagger on songs like the brash E Street Band jam 'Kick Rocks' and the immersive drug ode 'Coming Down.'"

Returning fans of Desure's EP, which was inspired by the rock & roll of late-1970s icons like Bob Seger, will hear glimmers of that sound here but the overall picture has shifted, like a garden that's been tilled and replanted for a new season. That's one of the reasons he named the record Pollen, a title that evokes images of bright color, renewal, and rebirth.

"With pollen comes change, growth, and beauty," says Desure, who holds a flower on the EP's cover. "It's a thing that's ever-changing. This project is a representation of my own growth, and my ever-changing abilities as an artist. It's the birth of something new."

Listen to "Cocaine Smile" below.

Pollen EP Tracklist:

1) Masochist

2) Cocaine Smile

3) On Me (ft. Nikki Lane)

4) Hi/Lo

5) Petty Pain

6) Forever I'm Hers