LOS ANGELES, CA (September 27, 2024) Today, singer, poet, songwriter, visual artist, film producer, activist and author SERJ TANKIAN, lead singer and lyricist for the GRAMMY© Award-winning rock band System Of A Down releases FOUNDATIONS, his EP of new music, worldwide via Gibson Records HERE. SERJ has also debuted the new video for the song “Cartoon Buyer” which begins with hushed, folk tones of SERJ playing acoustic guitar, gradually building in intensity before exploding in sonic and spiritual catharsis.
Watch/share the video for “Cartoon Buyer” which also features SERJ’s SOAD bandmate, John Dolmayan on drums: HERE.
“CARTOON BUYER”
FOUNDATIONS (Gibson Records)
1. “A.F. Day”
2. “Justice Will Shine On”
3. “Appropriations”
4. “Cartoon Buyer”
5. “Life’s Revengeful Son”
SERJ TANKIAN’s FOUNDATIONS mines music and lyrics from previous decades and reframes them in a hard-hitting, intensely focused collection. Like all of TANKIAN’s work, the five songs that comprise FOUNDATIONS encompass a wide range of sounds and styles. It is music that traverses multiple eras and vast swaths of emotions. It is also very much a rock album – “music of rebellion,” says TANKIAN.
FOUNDATIONS kicks off with “A.F. Day,” a raging, heavy-riffing track that sounds like classic TANKIAN. The origins of the song date back almost three decades, to his earliest days with System of a Down. TANKIAN never brought it to the band to record, and when he happened upon “A.F. Day” more recently he “felt it should finally be released.” In doing so, he retained much of the original music, including his vocals – a decision that was partly pragmatic: “My voice has naturally changed over time,” TANKIAN explains. As the lyrics demonstrate, his attitude has not. “Medieval educators locking horns at the playground at 5 / Real live police crime shows submission of the population at large,” he rails, expressing disgust with indoctrination and blind deference to authority at every turn.
Listen/watch the official video for SERJ TANKIAN’s “A.F. Day” HERE.
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About SERJ TANKIAN:
As the lead singer and songwriter for System Of A Down, SERJ TANKIAN has released five studio albums, winning a GRAMMY© Award in 2006 for “B.Y.O.B.” he’s performed for millions of fans and sold more than 42 million albums worldwide. Serj is also a solo artist, composer, activist, painter, poet, and filmmaker. TANKIAN was introduced to the melding of cultures, ideas, and ideals from a very young age. An Armenian born in Lebanon and raised in Los Angeles, the principles learned from this integration have led to his understanding of the oneness of all things and have since maneuvered and transfigured into the music and art that he lives to create. A proud Armenian American and a dedicated activist; along with Tom Morello, TANKIAN co-founded the non-profit organization Axis of Justice, which strived to bring together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. He has composed scores for many films and television series, had his paintings exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and New Zealand, and released two books of his own poetry. He has also been an executive producer on multiple documentaries, including I Am Not Alone, which tells the story of Armenia’s 2018 revolution, and which won awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, The American Film Institute Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, among others. SERJ TANKIAN will release his FOUNDATIONS, his EP of new music, worldwide September 27 on Gibson Records HERE. FOUNDATIONS mines music and lyrics from previous decades and reframes them in a hard-hitting, intensely focused collection.
