Devon Gilfillian announced new music for 2023, starting with grooving single “All I Really Wanna Do.” The soulful singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist made his debut in 2020 with the joyous yet nuanced Black Hole Rainbow, one of XPN’s favorite records of the year. And now his sophomore release, Love You Anyway via Fantasy Records, is coming out April 7th.
Of the new record, Morton PA native Gilfillian says, “I wanted to share my story and pour a whole lot of love into the gap that’s grown between people in our country.” From first listen, you can tell the leading single and first track on the record “All I Really Wanna Do” helps Gilfillian reach that goal. It’s a sweet treat of a song founded on a contagious beat and illustrated with bubblegum hues in the interstellar music video. “It’s a song about taking a chance on love, on life, and on exploring yourself,” says Gilfillian. “I want [the audience] to be reminded of the beauty and joy we have around us, as long as we’re looking and open to receive.”
As for the rest of the album’s tracks, we’ll be waiting to hear. But Gilfillian notes that it borrows from the icons of his father’s musical era like Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding as much as it does his own heroes like Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Watch “All I Really Wanna Do,” and find Love You Anyway out everywhere on April 7th. Devon Gilfillian has no Philadelphia concert dates announced yet for 2023, but the artist will be at two big festivals this year including SXSW in March and Bonnaroo in June.