Devendra Banhart releases his Nonesuch debut ‘Mala’ on March 11th. It includes the single ‘Never Seen Such Good Things’. The singer/songwriter co-produced the record with his long-time bandmate, guitarist Noah Georgeson. ‘Mala’, Banhart’s eighth studio album, was recorded in his then-home in Los Angeles (He now resides in New York City). He and Georgeson played most of the instruments themselves, using borrowed equipment and a recorder they had found in a pawn shop. The recorder is a couple of decades’ old piece of gear “that a lot of early hip-hop had been made on,” says Banhart “And knowing my songs are not hip-hop whatsoever, we thought it would be interesting to see how these kinds of songs would sound on equipment that was used to record our favourite rap. Let’s see how this technology would work for us.”

Banhart’s previous release ‘What Will We Be’, received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone calling it ‘The best he’s ever made.’

Banhart was born in Houston, TX, and moved with his mother to her native Caracas, Venezuela, when his parents separated. The family relocated to Los Angeles during his teenage years; it was there that he learned to speak English, skateboard, and play music. Banhart first began to perform in public while attending the San Francisco Art Institute. He has since lived in Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco, and New York City. Banhart first attracted international notice with his 2002 debut album, ‘Oh Me Oh My… The Way the Day Goes By the Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit’ – a collection of recordings he had made for himself. Pitchfork said in its review: ‘Banhart’s promising debut is the sign of someone destined for great, strange things.’ Subsequent albums include ‘Rejoicing In The Hands’, ‘Niño Rojo’, ‘Cripple Crow’, and ‘Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon’. He has collaborated with fellow musicians including Antony and the Johnsons, Beck, Vashti Bunyan, Os Mutantes, Swans, and Vetiver. He also has performed with both Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, and was part of a David Byrne curated concert at Carnegie Hall.

Vinyl packaging: Heavyweight 140 gram high-performance vinyl in gatefold sleeve. Includes bonus CD of the complete album, poster and 7” single with two bonus tracks.