Vancouver alt/pop outfit BLONDE DIAMOND – formerly known as YOUNGBLOOD – released their new EP Fantasy Love last Friday via STEM in North America. The EP features tracks produced by JUNO-nominated DJ Sleepy Tom (Diplo, Martin Solveig), and is the follow-up effort to 2016’s critically acclaimed Feel Alright. The band is fresh off performances with Portugal. The Man and Broken Social Scene last month, and debuted the full EP on CBC First Play in Canada on October 5 which you can watch HERE.

“The idea of the title Fantasy Love came from an Andy Warhol quote: ‘Fantasy love is much better than reality love. Never doing it is very exciting. The most exciting attractions are between two opposites that never meet,’” explains vocalist Alexis Young. “I have always been drawn to the tension of the imagination, and the incredible worlds that it creates within your mind. More often than not, something that you’ve built up in your mind is so terribly disappointing once you’ve had the chance to experience it in the real world. This EP pushes the boundaries of the situations I’ve created in my mind as a form of escapism, and gave me the outlet I needed to process how I was feeling without having to ruin everything in the real world.”

Formed in 2015 as a creative outlet for frontwoman Alexis Young, BLONDE DIAMOND has now received global attention for their dichotomous allure, having spent 2017 extensively touring across markets in Canada, Europe, Australia, the US and India. “Better When You’re Close,” released in April as the first single from the upcoming EP, has seen over 140,000 Spotify streams to date. The band also performed a SOLD OUT show supporting Bishop Briggs in Vancouver in support of its release. In June, Alexis spent time in Spotify’s Secret Genius Studios in Los Angeles writing new music. Most Recently, in honour of lululemon’s 20th anniversary in August 2018, the company asked 5 community leaders to share their stories of personal growth and adversity. Alexis Young’s experience was turned into a minute long animation and was shared across lululemon’s social channels globally as a story believing in yourself and not giving up the pursuit of achieving your goals.

Retro-futuristic melodies and siren-like vocals are quintessential to the band’s “intensively lush” arrangements, and their live show is equally infectious, as crowds surrender to their “simultaneously dreamy and vicious” sound, Karen O like frantic energy, and Grace Jones-esque magnetism. Blonde Diamond’s 2016 debut EP, Feel Alright, features five tracks. The first single and title track “Feel Alright” reached # 6 on the Spotify Viral Chart immediately after its release, with the EP itself currently nearing 1M streams.

North American Tour Dates:
10.30 – Red Deer, AB @ Bo’s Bar & Grill w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.02 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.03 – Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.05 – Nelson, BC @ Hume Hotel w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.07 – Kelowna, BC @ Sapphire w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.08 – Kamloops, BC @ The Blue Grotto w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.09 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore w/ Dear Rouge tickets
11.10 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom w/ Dear Rouge tickets