Real Estate Search for Themselves on “Water Underground,” Lead Single From New Album ‘Daniel’

It’s a big day for the Real Estate market—no, not that one. The New Jersey-native indie-rock veterans have announced their sixth album, Daniel (Feb. 23, Domino Recording Co.), as well as a 2024 North American tour, and shared the music video for free-flowing lead single “Water Underground.”

Real Estate—Martin Courtney (vocals, guitar), Alex Bleeker (bass, vocals), Matt Kallman (keyboards), Julian Lynch (guitar) and Sammi Niss (drums)—recorded their new 11-song set at Nashville’s RCA Studio A, collaborating for the first time with Grammy-winning producer Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves). But judging by “Water Underground,” the band isn’t fixing what ain’t broke: Their ever-consistent sound retains its pleasantly laid-back jangle, the kind of song to warm you even in the cold months.

The “Water Underground” video (dir. Edmond Hawkins) harkens back to a ‘90s-kid classic, Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete, whose eponymous Petes, Danny Tamberelli and Michael C. Maronna, conceptualized and produced the clip alongside show creators Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb, and star in it alongside Real Estate. Shot in suburban New Jersey, the video follows the band as they find their way through an idyllic neighborhood, getting up to all kinds of hijinks along the way.

It’s a fun accompaniment to “Water Underground” itself, in which lyricist Courtney traces his own artistry back to its source (“There is a sound / Like a signal between stations, it’s hard to hear”) over plucky guitar and bass, catchy background vocalizations and the occasional Americana accent. Real Estate aren’t reinventing the wheel, nor do they need to be—instead, they’re continuing to move forward on the four they’ve got, following that familiar path wherever it takes them, including back home.

“This song is about writing songs,” Courtney said in a statement. “I think ‘Water Underground’ is like the unconscious, the mysterious part of your brain where creativity comes from. The constant flow of music in the back of your head. You get an idea while driving or walking the dog or something and you want to hold on to it.”

“New Jersey roots are hard to break,” Tamberelli, himself a Garden State native, said of the “Water Underground” video.. “Julian, Alex and Martin all grew up one town away from me and were actually friends with the younger siblings of my friends from Ridgewood. They told me they even saw me perform at the local bandshell with some of those older siblings while I was in high school. The video brings it full circle and adding my dear old friends from the show into the fold really tied it all together.”

Real Estate’s 2024 tour kicks off in Vancouver in March, running until a late-May date in Atlanta. Artist presale starts on Nov. 29, followed by local presales on Nov. 30 and general on-sales Dec. 1.

Watch the “Water Underground” video above, stream the track here, and see Real Estate’s Daniel tracklist and 2024  tour dates down below.

Daniel Tracklist:

1. Somebody New 

2. Haunted World 

3. Water Underground

4. Flowers

5. Interior 

6. Freeze Brain

7. Say No More 

8. Airdrop 

9. Victoria 

10. Market Street

11. You Are Here

Real Estate 2024 Tour Dates:

03/01/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre*

03/02/24 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox*

03/03/24 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall*

03/05/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Urban Lounge*

03/06/24 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre*

03/08/24 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf*

03/09/24 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom*

03/10/24 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park*

03/11/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether*

03/13/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club*

04/05/24 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre (formerly Corona Theatre)^

04/06/24 – Toronto, ON @ Masonic Temple – The Concert Hall^

04/07/24 – Detroit, MI @ El Club^

04/08/24 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium^

04/10/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line^

04/11/24 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall^

04/12/24 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s^

04/13/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre^

04/15/24 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^

04/16/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer^

04/17/24 – Boston, MA @ Royale^

04/18/24 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall^

04/20/24 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios^

05/16/24 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #

05/17/24 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn

05/18/24 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall

05/20/24 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman #

05/21/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall #

05/22/24 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger #

05/23/24 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East 

05/24/24 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel #

05/25/24 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom #

05/26/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

* w/ Florry

^ w/ Marina Allen

# w/ Water From Your Eyes