Singer-songwriter Maal and veteran producer P. Morris have come together as Maal & Morris for the collaborative album Good Morning, I Love You. Maal has a silky tenor and a smooth sense of minimal melody. Morris has been mixing live instrumentation with cleverly sampled loop selection for years for a fluid, versatile array of beats. The two together make for some polished minimalism with beautiful vocal interjections.

The lead single is a soulful, efficient groove fest called “Hustle Boy.” Morris mixes classical string flourishes (which he arranged himself), dry trap drums, and R&B rhythms to envelope Maal’s voice as he cuts through with sparse interjections. It’s simple lyrically, with the words taking on the form of an oath. Maal repeats “Hustle, that’s all I do” and the song’s title over and over again and as the song plays it becomes easier to envision someone gradually wasting away living the hardknock life. It’s bare, and subtly powerful, and the accompanying visuals match perfectly. Listen.

Tour dates:

07/22 Oakland California @ The Night Lite
07/23 Sacramento California @ Ruhstaller Brewery
07/25 Portland Oregon @ The Liquor Store
07/26 Eugene Oregon @ The Boreal
07/28 Seattle @ Timbre Room
07/29 Arcata California @ Richards
07/30 Los Angeles, California @ Werk.LA

Tracklist:

01 “Good Morning Intro”
02 “Gone”
03 “Young & Gorgeous “
04 “Racecar”
05 “Airplane Mode”
06 “Church”
07 “Muddy Waters”
08 “Still Chipped”
09 “Hustle Boy”
10 “Good Morning Outro w/ Unwashed”

Cover art:

Good Morning, I Love You is out 7/22 on Bear Club Music Group. Pre-order it here.