TILAR Brings Cosmic Groove With New Album, "Unite & Heal"

Jazz-funk group and viral sensation TILAR is taking the indie music scene by the horns with their latest 7-track album, Unite & Heal.

Since their 2022 debut, Over The Moon, TILAR has been captivating audiences with their unique sound and eye-catching silver space suits. Their viral presence has earned them over 13 million TikTok views, while their energetic live shows continue to build a loyal following.

Their newest album, Unite & Heal, serves as a peek into the band's evolution, with front vocalist Clara's crystal-clear vocals floating over a powerful horn section and tight rhythm foundation. The album perfectly captures their signature cosmic funk sound while pushing into new musical territories.

The album opens with its title track, "Unite & Heal," immediately launching listeners into TILAR's groove-filled universe with bright horns and infectious energy. "Alright Again" follows, showing the band's exceptional vocal arrangements and dynamic range that takes us straight to the dancefloor.

"More Than A Friend" stands out as one of the album's most passionate tracks, celebrating the magical space between friendship and destiny and the journey to realizing that you've finally found the one. The experience continues with "Thirteen," a cinematic piece that feels like a song you'd hear at the end of a feel-good Hallmark holiday movie—all about personal growth and transformation.

"Leading Role" slows things down a bit with its jazzy instrumentation and smooth brass section, while "Cereal" brings electric guitar into the mix and showcases Clara's animated vocal performance at its peak.

The album closes with a special treat—a live version of "Unite & Heal" recorded at Berlin's Gretchen club. Featuring additional percussionists, backing vocalists, and a guitarist gives listeners a perfect taste of what to expect from their new live album, released on November 22nd.

Experience this cosmic treat yourself and find TILAR's new album, Unite & Heal, on all major streaming platforms.

Your new album, Unite & Heal, feels like a journey through space and sound. What inspired this cosmic approach to jazz-funk?

Hey, Buzz! Thanks so much for having us; we're thrilled to be here! This album was born from our deep love for disco, funk, and everything that carries that electric energy. We wanted Unite & Heal to blend as many musical worlds as possible since we bring something unique to the table. Musically and lyrically, we pulled inspiration from our favorite sounds and eras, like the late ‘70s grooves of The Jones Girls, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Tower of Power, Herbie Hancock, Patrice Rushen, Prince, and Lenny White, as well as today’s electronic pop and R&B influences, like Robert Glasper, Ariana Grande, and Alicia Keys.

The horn section really shines throughout Unite & Heal. Could you take us through what it was like to arrange such powerful sections? What was that creative process like?

Joshua created the initial brass melodies, and we focused on blending them seamlessly with the rest of the instruments to make one cohesive sound. Benni Stanko, our trumpet player, added his own melodies, and Carla Köllner, our trombonist, arranged each instrument's individual parts. For this album, we wanted to elevate our sound even further by adding a string section, which was a dream come true. We’re huge fans of the Dutch Metropole Orkest—especially their work with Cory Wong—so Carla also took on the arrangement of the string parts to bring this layered, orchestral vibe to life.

We're head over heels for Clara's vocals in Unite & Heal. What was your band's songwriting process like for these songs? Is it more of a one-person process or a shared collaboration?

Thank you so much! Clara and Joshua write the songs together, collaboratively sharing ideas. Clara might come up with lyrics or a melody, while Joshua might have chord progressions or a melody in mind, and then we meet up in Hamburg or Berlin for writing sessions. We usually record a demo and then bring it to the full band rehearsal, where we fine-tune everything together until it feels just right. We’ve added tons of backing vocals to each track to make it extra fun.

Which song from Unite & Heal is your band's favorite to perform? Which song have you had the most fun with so far?

We have different favorites, but we all love playing Unite & Heal live because it’s so high-energy, especially with that driving slap bassline. It’s always a great vibe!

Alright Again is also a blast—we get the audience to sing along in a three-part harmony, which gives us chills every time. Our audiences are so musically gifted; they sound like a full choir. We feel really lucky to experience that!

Could you drop some hints about your upcoming live album release on November 22nd?

Absolutely! The live album will feature all the songs from Unite & Heal, along with some fan favorites from past releases. We’ve reimagined them with an extended band that includes two backing vocalists, a guitarist, and a percussionist. It was recorded at our live show at the Gretchen Club in Berlin in March, and we filmed the entire performance, so we’re excited to release it as a full concert video on YouTube!

We know that many of our listeners across the pond and around the world can’t make it to our concerts right now, and since we’re not quite big enough to pull off a U.S. tour yet, we’re extra happy to bring a bit of that live concert energy to YouTube. We hope they’ll like it!

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