Today, multi-platinum singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist David Kushner releases his epic, autobiographical, 17-song full-length debut, The Dichotomy, via Miserable Music Group. The project tells the story of his own spiritual, philosophical and ultimately musical odyssey. The album takes us on a journey from alienation, despair and sin to a tentative acceptance of faith, while acknowledging that gnawing doubt will always exist. Kushner’s basso profundo vocals outline a life in darkness, while a soaring falsetto offers glimpses of the divine light which continually beckons him. Like its title, it is a study in opposites—God and Satan, light and darkness, good and evil, righteousness and sin, physical and spiritual, pleasure and pain—a meditation on mortality, internal conflict and the desire for awakening through revelation and transcendence.
“The music and songs came first, which led me to formulate the meaning of the full project,” explains the 24-year-old Chicago native, now living in Nashville, who built his multi-million social media presence on TikTok, first posting shirtless thirst-trap workout photos of his abs before segueing into giving life advice until finally embracing his destiny as a musician less than three years ago.
Stream The Dichotomy HERE
A music video for “Darkerside” is also out now, making its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV Biggest Pop, Nickmusic, and on the Paramount Times Square billboards. The track finds Kushner asking a higher power to help guide him as part of The Dichotomy’s final section tracing his redemption. “The music is about my faith,” explained Kushner, “but it’s also about my various experiences, dealing in the human condition and finding personal meaning that applies to everyone.” In signature David Kushner fashion, the moody video bubbles over with symbolism, lush cinematography, and captivating, understated choreography.
Watch “Darkerside” HERE
Fans can order an exclusive gatefold vinyl of The Dichotomy and three exclusive box sets with signed CDs only at the official David Kushner webstore.
On The Dichotomy Tour, Kushner will play across the US and Canada beginning September 9 in Portland, OR and finishing November 23 in Oakland, CA. Before the North American Dichotomy Tour, Kushner appeared at American music festivals that included Hangout, Boston Calling, and Bonnaroo. In August, he hit the European festival circuit with a slate of shows that includes the iconic Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK. For the latest on David Kushner live events and how to purchase tickets, visit Kushner’s website.
The Dichotomy Tracklist
1. No High
2. Poison
3. Skin and Bones
4. Hero
5. You and Me
6. Love Is Going To Kill Us
7. Dead Man
8. Flesh x Blood
9. Sweet Oblivion
10. Buried at Sea
11. Humankind
12. Universe
13. Heaven Sees
14. Darkerside
15. California Nights
16. Saving Your Soul
17. Daylight
About The Dichotomy:
“Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time” – “Daylight”
The Dichotomy is split into four individual sections, the first, comprised of five songs—including “No High,” “Poison,” “Skin and Bones,” “Hero” and “You and Me”—finds Kushner caught up in feelings of lust, jealousy, anger and desire, with demons including addiction and violence. The second section of five songs— “Love Is Going to Kill Us,” “Dead Man,” “Flesh x Blood,” “Sweet Oblivion” and “Buried at Sea” —delves into death, conflict and the desire for awakening. The third consists of three songs—“Humankind,” “Universe” and “Heaven Sees”—which take a wider view of the world and humanity, exploring the existential meaning of life. The final four tracks—starting with the first single, “Darkerside” into “California Nights,” “Saving Your Soul” and “Daylight”—represent David coming full circle to themes of revelation, healing and entering the light, while still wondering, “I scream to God at night/Afraid that I just might/Be talking to yourself/And living in my hell.” Even at the point of accepting forgiveness, there’s a nagging uncertainty that can’t be fully suppressed as the struggle continues.
Among the top producers on the album are Rob Kirwan [Hozier’s “Take Me to the Church,” PJ Harvey, Local Natives, U2, Depeche Mode, Sneaker Pimps], Steve Rusch [Beyonce, Diplo, Colbie Caillat, Solange, Logic], TMS [Lewis Capaldi, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, John Legend, G-Eazy, Bebe Rexha], and Ojivolta [Kanye West, Playboi Carti, XXXTentacion, Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, Halsey].
“My faith in God has been a foundational thing in my life,” he said. “I embrace that and write music I believe will touch people. I want to make the world a better place. Music is spiritual by nature; it leads us to a higher power. I’m just a vessel for these songs.”
The Dichotomy comes after an impressive start to David Kushner’s career. After working in his father’s life insurance business, David set his sights on establishing himself as an influencer, at first posting trendy videos and musical covers, then segueing into offering motivational life advice and encouragement to those suffering from mental illness and depression. His first two singles, “Miserable Man,” about a couple running away from a small town to find a larger purpose, and “Mr. Forgettable,” a narrative inspired by his grandfather’s bout with Alzheimer’s, attracted a following that ultimately surpassed what he had gathered as an influencer. Both tracks, which appeared on his 2022 debut EP, Footprints I Found, went viral on TikTok and earned gold certification, the former hitting the charts in Norway, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.
“TikTok has been very important in spreading my music,” said Kushner, who has toured with Lauv, Dermot Kennedy and Dean Lewis and is set for a headlining jaunt himself next year in conjunction with the album’s release. “I definitely had not planned to market my music, but I knew TikTok would be a powerful tool to connect with an audience.”
“I’m spiraling down and out of control/There’s a war no one sees inside my soul” – “Darkerside”
“We’re not perfect, we never will be, and while we strive to be good, we’re never going to reach that because we’re only human,” concludes Kushner. “There is no resolution to that song, which fits the theme of the album.”
The Dichotomy expresses this conundrum in a coming-of-age tale that transcends individual experience to touch on the universal, the perfect antidote to the spiritual malaise threatening the modern world. After turning his faith into music, David Kushner is ready to take his vital message to the masses.
DICHOTOMY TOUR AND FESTIVAL APPEARANCES
SEPTEMBER
9 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall*
11 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount Theatre*
12 – Vancouver, BC – Malkin Bowl*
14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex Rockwell*
15 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre*
18 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore*
19 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee*
21 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore*
22 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY*
24 – Portland, ME – State Theatre*
27 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17*
28 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore*
29 – Columbia, MD – All Things Go Festival
OCTOBER
22 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre+
23 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed+
25 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS+
26 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall+
27 – Boston, MA – House of Blues+
29 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore+
30 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz+
NOVEMBER
1 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works+
2 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy+
3 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company+
5 – Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore+
6 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live+
8 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore+
9 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center+
12 – Austin, TX – Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater+
13 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom+
15 – Mexico City, MX – Corona Capital+
18 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren+
19 – San Diego, CA – SOMA+
21 – Anaheim, CA – House Of Blues+
22 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium+
23 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater+
* with special guest Rosie
+ with special guest Henrik
DICHOTOMY TOUR EUROPEAN DATES
FEBRUARY
13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Cirkus – Tickets
14 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene – Tickets
16 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Store Vega – Tickets
18 – Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria – Tickets
19 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Neue Welt – Tickets
21 – Warsaw, Poland – COS Torwar – Tickets
23 – Prague, Czech Republic – Forum Karlín – Tickets
24 – Zurich, Switzerland – X-TRA – Tickets
26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso – Tickets
27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso – Tickets
MARCH
1 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique – Tickets
5 – Paris, France – L'Olympia – Tickets
7 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow – Tickets
10 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy – Tickets
15 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton – Tickets
17 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre – Tickets
18 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre – Tickets
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