{"product_id":"tyler-ballgame-for-the-first-time-again","title":"TYLER BALLGAME - FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eRough Trade Records\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003e is thrilled to announce \u003cb\u003eTyler Ballgame\u003c\/b\u003e’s stunning debut album \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor the First Time, Again\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, out \u003cb\u003eJanuary 30th, 2026\u003c\/b\u003e. A bracing reminder of how great songs delivered by a gifted vocalist can move, captivate and inspire, it boasts 12 finely crafted tunes rooted in classic rock, indie and Americana. Ballgame’s infectious melodies draw the listener into a story, and his message of belief in one’s true self resonates deep and wide. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eThe album’s lead single, the rhapsodic Lennon-meets-Orbison ‘\u003cb\u003eI Believe In Love\u003c\/b\u003e’ is out today with a video by Ballgame’s friends and roommates Joey Casale and Victoria Gagnaire Stein. Recorded live, the song is the first one that Ballgame wrote explicitly knowing there would be a record and that it would change his life. “\u003ci\u003eI had met [producer Jonathan] Rado and he told me to write the biggest song in the world, so I sat down at my kitchen table for two days and put the puzzle of the composition together. It’s turned into an anthem about love of love and the fools it makes,\u003c\/i\u003e” he explains. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eFor the First Time, Again\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003e was recorded with acclaimed indie producer-multi-instrumentalists \u003cb\u003eJonathan Rado\u003c\/b\u003e (Foxygen, Miley Cyrus, Weyes Blood) and \u003cb\u003eRyan Pollie\u003c\/b\u003e (Los Angeles Police Department). Known as unapologetic “analog fetishists,” Rado and Pollie shape the sonics of Ballgame’s work with propulsive acoustic guitar, soulful rhythms, colorful keyboards, occasional horns, and lush harmonies, all rendered with the same recording technology as in classic albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Drummer \u003cb\u003eAmy Aileen Wood\u003c\/b\u003e (Fiona Apple) and bassist \u003cb\u003eWayne Whitaker\u003c\/b\u003e contribute mightily to the pulse and character of the album.\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eBallgame traces the genesis of \u003ci\u003eFor the First Time, Again\u003c\/i\u003e to a pivotal moment that almost didn’t happen. Stuck in his native New England, depressed and isolated during the pandemic, living in his parents’ basement, Ballgame knew in his heart he was destined for a life in music. He’d known it since he was a child growing up with a classically trained music teacher mom, who encouraged him to joyfully perform anytime, anywhere – which he did, to great effect. He’d known it when he obsessively downloaded classic rock from Napster, and when more than one teacher at the prestigious Berklee College of Music told him he had the goods, as both songwriter and vocalist. As Ballgame says, “\u003ci\u003eI think I’m meant to sing for people\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003ePost-Berklee musical endeavors were fun, but nothing caught fire. Demons of doubt crept in. At his lowest point, Ballgame toiled on the cover band circuit, playing three nights a week in Rhode Island bars. Feeling he had little to lose, Ballgame applied online for an office job in Los Angeles, where he’d never set foot, and got the gig. With encouragement from a life-changing, body-positive-centric counselor, and the support of his family, Ballgame left the East Coast, he says, “\u003ci\u003ein desperation to find myself.\u003c\/i\u003e” As traveling companions, he carried books by philosophers Eckhart Tolle (\u003ci\u003eThe Power of Now\u003c\/i\u003e) and Alan Watts (\u003ci\u003eThe Way of Zen\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eSoon, Ballgame was renting a room at Venice Beach, and slaying at a weekly open mic, playing his own songs. These low-stakes baby steps, Ballgame says, “\u003ci\u003espiraled out into a community. The move was the best thing that ever happened to me. It opened my eyes to the nature of risk, and the nature of betting on yourself. My whole album is about that experience.\u003c\/i\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eAfter a year of growing an ever-larger audience wowed by his extraordinary voice, charismatic stage presence, and catchy repertoire, Ballgame met Eastside L.A. movers-shakers Pollie and Rado. The deeply impressed duo told him, “Let’s make a record – now!” Within a month, Ballgame had written a plethora of new songs including earlier stand-along single ‘\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OziI53EigW0\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGot A New Car\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003e’ which appears on the album.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eFor the First Time, Again\u003c\/i\u003e, Tyler Ballgame and his talented circle of fellow music-makers enthusiastically offer listeners songs to fill them with hope, acceptance, delirious happiness, and support for rough roads ahead. For healing to occur, Ballgame offers, “We need to dissolve into \u003ci\u003eexperience\u003c\/i\u003e.” With its gorgeous melodies, wise invocations, irrepressible – and sometimes mischievous – generosity of spirit, and THAT VOICE, \u003ci\u003eFor the First Time Again\u003c\/i\u003e is in itself an amazing experience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\"\u003eArtwork by Tauni Western\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Going Underground Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":51949072286009,"sku":null,"price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0060\/2744\/4291\/files\/images-25.jpg?v=1771365715","url":"https:\/\/www.goingundergroundrecords.com\/products\/tyler-ballgame-for-the-first-time-again","provider":"Going Underground Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}