Atlanta’s Sequoyah Murray announces debut release Penalties of Love

At just 22 years old, Atlanta vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Sequoyah Murray has already established himself as a singular voice in the Atlanta music scene. Murray began writing and recording music when he was just 15. After a handful of self-released tapes, he attracted the attention of adventurous electronic artist publisher Multiverse and Thrill Jockey.

Penalties of Love, a personal tale of love and yearning, gets your attention immediately with its surprising arrangements and multifarious textures, not least of which are intricately woven wide-ranging vocals. Sequoyah’s music is as wildly inventive as it is addictive. He was drawn into music early by the east African music introduced to him by his parents, and further inspired and encouraged by the compositional eclecticism of Arthur Russell.

The young Murray produced all his own music, and plays nearly all of the instruments on the record, with the exception of his father on drums and his mother and younger brother providing backing vocals (on “Penalties of Love” and “Second Born” respectively).

Sequoyah’s impressive vocal range is on full display throughout Penalties of Love. Unbound by convention, this remarkably singular musical voice’s debut is an enticing hint of what is to come.