{"title":"Drugdealer","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"drugdealer-hiding-in-plain-sight-184923129205","title":"Drugdealer - Hiding in Plain Sight Table Wine Rouge Vinyl","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe third and most seasoned Drugdealer album, Hiding in Plain Sight, almost didn't happen at all. Frustrated and insecure with his own singing voice prior to the pandemic, Drugdealer founder and primary songwriter Michael Collins was nearly ready to throw in the towel. With hits like \"Suddenly\" and \"The Real World\" (from the band's 2016 debut, The End Of Comedy) and \"Honey\" (from their first album for Mexican Summer, 2019’s Raw Honey), Collins had plenty to be happy about. But due to a frequent impulse to hand over the microphone to friends and collaborators like Weyes Blood, Jackson MacIntosh, and his trusty musical companion Sasha Winn, Collins became increasingly unsure of himself as a singer. Then, amidst the windswept art colony of Marfa, Texas, a chance encounter with the visionary artist and composer Annette Peacock changed his outlook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhile attending Mexican Summer's annual Marfa Myths festival, Collins ran into Peacock backstage. \"I was so inspired by [Annette]. But similarly to all these other vocalists I'd worked with, I didn't feel like I had it in me.\" he recalls. \"I told her my plight, then I played her a song, and she told me I wasn't singing high enough for my speaking voice. When I returned to LA, I started coming up with new progressions, which I'd modulate up three half steps. It forced me to find a new way to sing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn the valley of the shadow of doubt, during a period when Collins was considering giving up on music and embarking on his lifelong dream of filmmaking, a furtive conversation with a legend allowed him to find his own distinctive voice. But, as the title implies, the lockdown era during which Collins wrote the bulk of the record was a time spent searching for answers – searching for love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Madison,\" the opening track on Hiding in Plain Sight, is the first song Collins wrote singing in this suggested range. His newfound confidence as a yarn-spinning vocalist in the gruff tenor tradition of Nick Lowe, or even Van Morrison, is readily apparent, with Conor \"Catfish\" Gallaher's pedal steel adding a dusting of cosmic country to Collins' down-hard love song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhen Collins wrote the would-be AM Gold hit, he was summoning an imaginary vision of a love that had eluded him in reality. The song focuses on an unknown figure he could idealize. \"All the art I've made is related to this searching archetype,\" Collins says. \"I feel there's no one way that people find love in their life. When I started to make this album, I noticed that all the lyrics dealt with this subject. On 'Madison,' the chorus goes 'Hoping you'll find a love\/You're one design of love.' Then the next song I wrote went 'Find someone to love...' At that point, I pretty much knew where it was going. Sasha (my main musical partner) and I are both incredibly romantic. We've worked on multiple projects that are all based around this search for love.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBut this quest spanned beyond the traditional conception of love. It takes a village to put together Drugdealer records. The Greek term for love of friends, philia, translating to \"the highest form of love,\" is evident in a deep cast of characters including Drugdealer band members Mikey Long, MacIntosh and Josh Da Costa (CMON), as well as Southland virtuosos like John Carroll Kirby (Frank Ocean, Stones Throw) and Daryl Johns (Mac DeMarco, The Lemon Twigs).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTim Presley sings on the second song, \"Baby,\" and Collins had a clear role in mind for the California avant-rock mainstay. \"I love White Fence so much, but I also wanted to hear Presley sing a song that sounded like an early '60s sock hop band who had never tried drugs in their life.\" Meanwhile, Kate Bollinger floats an effervescent lead vocal over the Rhodes-driven groove in “Pictures of You.” As usual, Collins wrangled a who's who of background singers and instrumentalists to carry out Hiding in Plain Sight's vision. Mainly, however, the record acts as a welcome showcase for Collins as an emboldened lead singer, a wayward bandleader who has found a way to love himself as a singer, songwriter and storyteller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTaking inspiration from a canon of gruff but soulful rock vocalists like Phil Lynott, Collins looks back on his nocturnal meanderings through LA's warrens of bars and clubs (\"New Fascination\"). He’s right up front in the mix, detailing a search for love in all the wrong places. All the while, his band turns on a dime, with Long and Sergio Tabanico trading respective electric sitar and electric sax solos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn \"Hard Dreaming Man,\" he looks back at a restless decade on the road through the rearview mirror. \"Hard dreaming man\/lemme tell you anything I know... I gotta go any place I can go,\" he sings over a chorus of honky-tonk guitars you might hear wafting out of saloon doors. \"The thing I actually do at a high level isn't playing piano,\" Collins says, \"it's telling stories. Our group of musicians, we all just really like to hang out and tell stories together.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCollins once again hands the mic over to his talented friends on the final, celebratory track, \"Posse Cut.\" The latest, greatest entry in a Los Angeles funk tradition spanning from Leon Sylvers to Warren G, the six-minute jam finds a groove and rides it, with Bambina, Winn, Sean Nicholas Savage, Video Age, and Kirby showing out. In what could be a summation of the record's themes, Winn sings, \"I don't wanna stop the flow\/But there's something you should know\/I've been known to move around\/I get lost before I get found.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUltimately, Hiding in Plain Sight is an odyssey from philautia—the ability to love oneself —to philia, a greater ability to love and embrace the contributions of those around you. Only then does a path clear for an encompassing and passionate romantic love, eros. Ultimately, Collins finds love all around and, finally, feels in possession of the voice to sing about it, resulting in the most joyful and fully-realized Drugdealer album to date. Hiding in Plain Sight is the sound of Michael Collins and Drugdealer getting their groove back.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47589446943021,"sku":"184923129205","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/ReleaseProduct-311427-170125.jpg?v=1700161838"},{"product_id":"drugdealer-hiding-in-plain-sight-184923129212","title":"Drugdealer - Hiding in Plain Sight Standard Black Vinyl","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe third and most seasoned Drugdealer album, Hiding in Plain Sight, almost didn't happen at all. Frustrated and insecure with his own singing voice prior to the pandemic, Drugdealer founder and primary songwriter Michael Collins was nearly ready to throw in the towel. With hits like \"Suddenly\" and \"The Real World\" (from the band's 2016 debut, The End Of Comedy) and \"Honey\" (from their first album for Mexican Summer, 2019’s Raw Honey), Collins had plenty to be happy about. But due to a frequent impulse to hand over the microphone to friends and collaborators like Weyes Blood, Jackson MacIntosh, and his trusty musical companion Sasha Winn, Collins became increasingly unsure of himself as a singer. Then, amidst the windswept art colony of Marfa, Texas, a chance encounter with the visionary artist and composer Annette Peacock changed his outlook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhile attending Mexican Summer's annual Marfa Myths festival, Collins ran into Peacock backstage. \"I was so inspired by [Annette]. But similarly to all these other vocalists I'd worked with, I didn't feel like I had it in me.\" he recalls. \"I told her my plight, then I played her a song, and she told me I wasn't singing high enough for my speaking voice. When I returned to LA, I started coming up with new progressions, which I'd modulate up three half steps. It forced me to find a new way to sing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn the valley of the shadow of doubt, during a period when Collins was considering giving up on music and embarking on his lifelong dream of filmmaking, a furtive conversation with a legend allowed him to find his own distinctive voice. But, as the title implies, the lockdown era during which Collins wrote the bulk of the record was a time spent searching for answers – searching for love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Madison,\" the opening track on Hiding in Plain Sight, is the first song Collins wrote singing in this suggested range. His newfound confidence as a yarn-spinning vocalist in the gruff tenor tradition of Nick Lowe, or even Van Morrison, is readily apparent, with Conor \"Catfish\" Gallaher's pedal steel adding a dusting of cosmic country to Collins' down-hard love song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhen Collins wrote the would-be AM Gold hit, he was summoning an imaginary vision of a love that had eluded him in reality. The song focuses on an unknown figure he could idealize. \"All the art I've made is related to this searching archetype,\" Collins says. \"I feel there's no one way that people find love in their life. When I started to make this album, I noticed that all the lyrics dealt with this subject. On 'Madison,' the chorus goes 'Hoping you'll find a love\/You're one design of love.' Then the next song I wrote went 'Find someone to love...' At that point, I pretty much knew where it was going. Sasha (my main musical partner) and I are both incredibly romantic. We've worked on multiple projects that are all based around this search for love.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBut this quest spanned beyond the traditional conception of love. It takes a village to put together Drugdealer records. The Greek term for love of friends, philia, translating to \"the highest form of love,\" is evident in a deep cast of characters including Drugdealer band members Mikey Long, MacIntosh and Josh Da Costa (CMON), as well as Southland virtuosos like John Carroll Kirby (Frank Ocean, Stones Throw) and Daryl Johns (Mac DeMarco, The Lemon Twigs).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTim Presley sings on the second song, \"Baby,\" and Collins had a clear role in mind for the California avant-rock mainstay. \"I love White Fence so much, but I also wanted to hear Presley sing a song that sounded like an early '60s sock hop band who had never tried drugs in their life.\" Meanwhile, Kate Bollinger floats an effervescent lead vocal over the Rhodes-driven groove in “Pictures of You.” As usual, Collins wrangled a who's who of background singers and instrumentalists to carry out Hiding in Plain Sight's vision. Mainly, however, the record acts as a welcome showcase for Collins as an emboldened lead singer, a wayward bandleader who has found a way to love himself as a singer, songwriter and storyteller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTaking inspiration from a canon of gruff but soulful rock vocalists like Phil Lynott, Collins looks back on his nocturnal meanderings through LA's warrens of bars and clubs (\"New Fascination\"). He’s right up front in the mix, detailing a search for love in all the wrong places. All the while, his band turns on a dime, with Long and Sergio Tabanico trading respective electric sitar and electric sax solos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn \"Hard Dreaming Man,\" he looks back at a restless decade on the road through the rearview mirror. \"Hard dreaming man\/lemme tell you anything I know... I gotta go any place I can go,\" he sings over a chorus of honky-tonk guitars you might hear wafting out of saloon doors. \"The thing I actually do at a high level isn't playing piano,\" Collins says, \"it's telling stories. Our group of musicians, we all just really like to hang out and tell stories together.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCollins once again hands the mic over to his talented friends on the final, celebratory track, \"Posse Cut.\" The latest, greatest entry in a Los Angeles funk tradition spanning from Leon Sylvers to Warren G, the six-minute jam finds a groove and rides it, with Bambina, Winn, Sean Nicholas Savage, Video Age, and Kirby showing out. In what could be a summation of the record's themes, Winn sings, \"I don't wanna stop the flow\/But there's something you should know\/I've been known to move around\/I get lost before I get found.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUltimately, Hiding in Plain Sight is an odyssey from philautia—the ability to love oneself —to philia, a greater ability to love and embrace the contributions of those around you. Only then does a path clear for an encompassing and passionate romantic love, eros. Ultimately, Collins finds love all around and, finally, feels in possession of the voice to sing about it, resulting in the most joyful and fully-realized Drugdealer album to date. Hiding in Plain Sight is the sound of Michael Collins and Drugdealer getting their groove back.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47589447041325,"sku":"184923129212","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/ReleaseProduct-311427-170124.jpg?v=1700161811"},{"product_id":"drugdealer-hiding-in-plain-sight-184923129229","title":"Drugdealer - Hiding in Plain Sight CD","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003carticle class=\"article-decorated\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe third and most seasoned Drugdealer album, Hiding in Plain Sight, almost didn't happen at all. Frustrated and insecure with his own singing voice prior to the pandemic, Drugdealer founder and primary songwriter Michael Collins was nearly ready to throw in the towel. With hits like \"Suddenly\" and \"The Real World\" (from the band's 2016 debut, The End Of Comedy) and \"Honey\" (from their first album for Mexican Summer, 2019’s Raw Honey), Collins had plenty to be happy about. But due to a frequent impulse to hand over the microphone to friends and collaborators like Weyes Blood, Jackson MacIntosh, and his trusty musical companion Sasha Winn, Collins became increasingly unsure of himself as a singer. Then, amidst the windswept art colony of Marfa, Texas, a chance encounter with the visionary artist and composer Annette Peacock changed his outlook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhile attending Mexican Summer's annual Marfa Myths festival, Collins ran into Peacock backstage. \"I was so inspired by [Annette]. But similarly to all these other vocalists I'd worked with, I didn't feel like I had it in me.\" he recalls. \"I told her my plight, then I played her a song, and she told me I wasn't singing high enough for my speaking voice. When I returned to LA, I started coming up with new progressions, which I'd modulate up three half steps. It forced me to find a new way to sing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn the valley of the shadow of doubt, during a period when Collins was considering giving up on music and embarking on his lifelong dream of filmmaking, a furtive conversation with a legend allowed him to find his own distinctive voice. But, as the title implies, the lockdown era during which Collins wrote the bulk of the record was a time spent searching for answers – searching for love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Madison,\" the opening track on Hiding in Plain Sight, is the first song Collins wrote singing in this suggested range. His newfound confidence as a yarn-spinning vocalist in the gruff tenor tradition of Nick Lowe, or even Van Morrison, is readily apparent, with Conor \"Catfish\" Gallaher's pedal steel adding a dusting of cosmic country to Collins' down-hard love song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhen Collins wrote the would-be AM Gold hit, he was summoning an imaginary vision of a love that had eluded him in reality. The song focuses on an unknown figure he could idealize. \"All the art I've made is related to this searching archetype,\" Collins says. \"I feel there's no one way that people find love in their life. When I started to make this album, I noticed that all the lyrics dealt with this subject. On 'Madison,' the chorus goes 'Hoping you'll find a love\/You're one design of love.' Then the next song I wrote went 'Find someone to love...' At that point, I pretty much knew where it was going. Sasha (my main musical partner) and I are both incredibly romantic. We've worked on multiple projects that are all based around this search for love.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBut this quest spanned beyond the traditional conception of love. It takes a village to put together Drugdealer records. The Greek term for love of friends, philia, translating to \"the highest form of love,\" is evident in a deep cast of characters including Drugdealer band members Mikey Long, MacIntosh and Josh Da Costa (CMON), as well as Southland virtuosos like John Carroll Kirby (Frank Ocean, Stones Throw) and Daryl Johns (Mac DeMarco, The Lemon Twigs).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTim Presley sings on the second song, \"Baby,\" and Collins had a clear role in mind for the California avant-rock mainstay. \"I love White Fence so much, but I also wanted to hear Presley sing a song that sounded like an early '60s sock hop band who had never tried drugs in their life.\" Meanwhile, Kate Bollinger floats an effervescent lead vocal over the Rhodes-driven groove in “Pictures of You.” As usual, Collins wrangled a who's who of background singers and instrumentalists to carry out Hiding in Plain Sight's vision. Mainly, however, the record acts as a welcome showcase for Collins as an emboldened lead singer, a wayward bandleader who has found a way to love himself as a singer, songwriter and storyteller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTaking inspiration from a canon of gruff but soulful rock vocalists like Phil Lynott, Collins looks back on his nocturnal meanderings through LA's warrens of bars and clubs (\"New Fascination\"). He’s right up front in the mix, detailing a search for love in all the wrong places. All the while, his band turns on a dime, with Long and Sergio Tabanico trading respective electric sitar and electric sax solos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn \"Hard Dreaming Man,\" he looks back at a restless decade on the road through the rearview mirror. \"Hard dreaming man\/lemme tell you anything I know... I gotta go any place I can go,\" he sings over a chorus of honky-tonk guitars you might hear wafting out of saloon doors. \"The thing I actually do at a high level isn't playing piano,\" Collins says, \"it's telling stories. Our group of musicians, we all just really like to hang out and tell stories together.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCollins once again hands the mic over to his talented friends on the final, celebratory track, \"Posse Cut.\" The latest, greatest entry in a Los Angeles funk tradition spanning from Leon Sylvers to Warren G, the six-minute jam finds a groove and rides it, with Bambina, Winn, Sean Nicholas Savage, Video Age, and Kirby showing out. In what could be a summation of the record's themes, Winn sings, \"I don't wanna stop the flow\/But there's something you should know\/I've been known to move around\/I get lost before I get found.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUltimately, Hiding in Plain Sight is an odyssey from philautia—the ability to love oneself —to philia, a greater ability to love and embrace the contributions of those around you. Only then does a path clear for an encompassing and passionate romantic love, eros. Ultimately, Collins finds love all around and, finally, feels in possession of the voice to sing about it, resulting in the most joyful and fully-realized Drugdealer album to date. Hiding in Plain Sight is the sound of Michael Collins and Drugdealer getting their groove back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/article\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47589447172397,"sku":"184923129229","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/ReleaseProduct-311427-176565.jpg?v=1700161778"},{"product_id":"drugdealer-raw-honey-184923124828","title":"Drugdealer - Raw Honey CD","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003carticle class=\"article-decorated\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“All anyone wants to be is what they can.” In an era when networked access to information is nearly universal and wearing influences on your sleeve is normalized, it often feels like everything’s been done. Which begs the questions: What’s the point of creating? Does the world need another still life of fruit? Another film about love? Does the world need another melody?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn Raw Honey, his second album as Drugdealer, Michael Collins colors these existential conundrums with lush arrangements, memetic melodies, and a vulnerable tunefulness that tries to make sense of self-doubt and connected loneliness in our shared simulacra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCollins, who never played an instrument let alone received musical training in any formal capacity, began experimenting with sounds in 2009 after traversing the US on freight trains. After a few years crafting abstract sampledelia, he decided to forgo his experimental exercises in favor of teaching himself how to write a traditional song. In doing so, he made the decision to approach songwriting from the perspective of a listener, rather than a “musician.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 2013, Collins headed west and enmeshed himself in the Los Angeles underground scene. It was there and then that he began collaborating with players in the orbit of Ariel Pink, over time crafting what would become Drugdealer’s debut album, The End of Comedy, a collection of sunlit songs as indebted to Laurel Canyon psych pop as it is Bacharachian orchestration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRaw Honey continues where The End of Comedy left off, with Collins leading an ace crew of collaborators to coalesce the spirit of Drugdealer’s classically modern pop. Built on the foundation of a creative partnership among Collins, Sasha Winn (vocals) and Shags Chamberlain (bass, production), Drugdealer is more a collective than band. Raw Honey features contributions of Josh Da Costa (drums), Jackson MacIntosh (guitar), Danny Garcia (guitar), Michael Long (lead guitar), and Benjamin Schwab (backing vocals, guitar, organ, piano, wurlitzer), as well as guest vocalists like country balladeer Dougie Poole (“Wild Motion”), Harley Hill-Richmond (“Lonely”), and frequent collaborator Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood) whose dulcet tones sing low before soaring on “Honey,” a track as silky as the nectar itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThroughout Raw Honey, Collins and crew display their influences as a new tapestry, one woven with the fibers from thousands of tapestries that have colored our collective listening histories. As evidenced throughout Raw Honey, Collins has an ear for penning numbers that would sound as at home on Classic Rock radio as they would at Zebulon in Los Angeles, where any of the contributors to Raw Honey might likely be found on any night of the week, on stage, or in the audience supporting another Angelino’s modern pop aspirations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRather than hiding behind a curtain or casually sidestepping AOR tropes, Raw Honey adheres to a modern kind of creation — one that cultivates influences and espouses reverence. An honest totem, Raw Honey isn’t tangled up in social norms, with Collins preferring to air his self-doubt as a northern star to guide like-minded people wherever they need to go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/article\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47589447205165,"sku":"184923124828","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/ReleaseProduct-195517-112010.jpg?v=1700161933"},{"product_id":"drugdealer-real-thing-the-news-7-black-vinyl","title":"Drugdealer \u0026 Weyes Blood - Real Thing b\/w The News -  Spotify Fans First Mellow Yellow Vinyl","description":"\u003cp\u003eLimited edition \"Mellow Yellow\" color vinyl 7\" in printed jacket with poly bag, exclusive to Spotify Fans First.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver two years in the making, and many more in the two musician’s shared dream, “Real Thing” unites longtime collaborators Michael Collins (Drugdealer) and Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood). Recorded across continents, “Real Thing” is a return, a refinement, and a reminder of the deep connection that has bound these two titans of song over multiple collaborations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the B-side is \"The News,” Drugdealer’s first collaboration with Robbie Chemical. What began as a simple harmony grew into a panoramic partnership, the musician’s voices effortlessly entwined and a pop paragon envisioned. Inspired by generational conversations on chaos, change, and connection, the track opens a new chapter—topical, personal, and unmistakably Drugdealer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51595074601261,"sku":"184923137224","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/MEX372_Drugdealer_7in-1_Yellow.png?v=1762992937"},{"product_id":"drugdealer-weyes-blood-real-thing-b-w-the-news-cloudy-clear-vinyl","title":"Drugdealer \u0026 Weyes Blood - Real Thing b\/w The News - Cloudy Clear Vinyl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLimited edition \"Cloudy Clear\" color vinyl 7\" in printed jacket with poly bag. \u003cspan\u003eLimited to 700 pieces worldwide.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eDrugdealer returns with two collaborations that highlight Michael Collins’ signature blend of classic pop craftsmanship and heartfelt modern songwriting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Real Thing” reunites Collins with longtime collaborator and conspirator Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood) in a lush, cross-continental session years in the making. The track captures the magic of their musical chemistry—an effortless blend of timeless melody and soul-infused harmony. It’s both a reunion and a refinement, a glowing reminder of the creative connection that has defined some of Drugdealer’s most beloved work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn “The News,” Collins teams up for the first time with Robbie Chemical, turning a simple harmony sparked in Spain into a panoramic pop gem. Built around memorable melodies and radiant production, the track channels the spirit of generational change—grappling with chaos, connection, and renewal—while retaining the unmistakable charm that defines the Drugdealer sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTogether, “Real Thing” and “The News” trace the evolution of an artist pushing toward honesty and beauty through collaboration. These songs balance nostalgia with reinvention, rooted in friendship, melody, and emotion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mexican Summer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51641551651117,"sku":"184923137231","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0846\/5802\/8845\/files\/MEX372_Drugdealer_7in-1-Clear.png?v=1763143697"}],"url":"https:\/\/mexicansummer.myshopify.com\/collections\/drugdealer.oembed","provider":"Mexican Summer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}