![The group%u2019s first single %u2018Marks To Prove It%u2019 has showcased a rawer sound which is reminiscent of their debut album Colour It In. Whilst Given To The Wild was a triumph, it was very much a polished record - they%u2019ve let the grit get into this one. In an interview with the Evening Standard Felix White explained: %u201CWe%u2019ve never made a record that sounded like we do at gigs, and also that sound like an actual place%u2026]()
The group%u2019s first single %u2018Marks To Prove It%u2019 has showcased a rawer sound which is reminiscent of their debut album Colour It In. Whilst Given To The Wild was a triumph, it was very much a polished record - they%u2019ve let the grit get into this one. In an interview with the Evening Standard Felix White explained: %u201CWe%u2019ve never made a record that sounded like we do at gigs, and also that sound like an actual place%u2026"
![The band have taken inspiration from London's ugliest roundabout in the recording, having recorded and written the entirety of the album in Elephant & Castle. Hugo White said,]()
The band have taken inspiration from London's ugliest roundabout in the recording, having recorded and written the entirety of the album in Elephant & Castle. Hugo White said, "We just felt very much a part of this area, coming here every day to make the record." The band also wrote with the video release that Elephant & Castle "will be a recurrent theme for the visual work that will accompany it. Of which there will be much more to come."
![The video for %u2018Marks To Prove It%u2019 is the first in a trilogy of videos from the new album set in the South London town which are all directed by Joe Connor. At the end of the first chapter, the character has been pulled into the depths of a puddle near the Elephant & Castle roundabout which is the gateway to a trippy sub-aquatic world under the hubbub of the city above. Who knows where it will go next...]()
The video for %u2018Marks To Prove It%u2019 is the first in a trilogy of videos from the new album set in the South London town which are all directed by Joe Connor. At the end of the first chapter, the character has been pulled into the depths of a puddle near the Elephant & Castle roundabout which is the gateway to a trippy sub-aquatic world under the hubbub of the city above. Who knows where it will go next...
![They have incorporated the use of piano and a female vocalist. The group experimented with a female presence on Given To The Wild highlight 'Unknown' to stunning effect. In an interview with NME Felix White says the new addition to their sound]()
They have incorporated the use of piano and a female vocalist. The group experimented with a female presence on Given To The Wild highlight 'Unknown' to stunning effect. In an interview with NME Felix White says the new addition to their sound "spins [the songs] another way."
![It was produced, created and recorded exclusively within the vicinity of the five members with Hugo taking on production duties, which means their bond as an entity is stronger than ever. Hugo explains: %u201CEveryone pulls in different ways, writes differently and things to be different. it takes a long time to merge those separate ideas into a strong vision.%u201D]()
It was produced, created and recorded exclusively within the vicinity of the five members with Hugo taking on production duties, which means their bond as an entity is stronger than ever. Hugo explains: %u201CEveryone pulls in different ways, writes differently and things to be different. it takes a long time to merge those separate ideas into a strong vision.%u201D
![Of the tracks we've heard so far: 'Marks To Prove It' is the first single, with a Horrors-esque wall of guitar and a fantastic dissonant organ descent midway through, it seems as though they have been experimenting with the pedal board injected with the explosive energy from their debut album. This has the feel of the band shaking up the songwriting formula; there are tempo shifts, it's fast and loud featuring intervals of slow grooves and just when you think it's all over that spiralling organ riff kicks in again to see the track out, it sounds like going down the rabbit hole.]()
Of the tracks we've heard so far: 'Marks To Prove It' is the first single, with a Horrors-esque wall of guitar and a fantastic dissonant organ descent midway through, it seems as though they have been experimenting with the pedal board injected with the explosive energy from their debut album. This has the feel of the band shaking up the songwriting formula; there are tempo shifts, it's fast and loud featuring intervals of slow grooves and just when you think it's all over that spiralling organ riff kicks in again to see the track out, it sounds like going down the rabbit hole.
!['Kamakura' - This one is a much more sparse affair. A mid-paced drum beat accompanies the White Brother%u2019s wall of guitar, whilst Orlando%u2019s vocals swims graciously overhead, landing on topics such as %u201Cgetting old%u201D and quiveringly delivering lines such as %u201CNo one says a word because it breaks her heart%u201D. A glimmering interlude becomes a different creature entirely as an augmenting layer of synths and guitars rumble below it, a quickening beat brings the curtain down on %u2018Kamakura%u2019 before it reaches boiling point.]()
'Kamakura' - This one is a much more sparse affair. A mid-paced drum beat accompanies the White Brother%u2019s wall of guitar, whilst Orlando%u2019s vocals swims graciously overhead, landing on topics such as %u201Cgetting old%u201D and quiveringly delivering lines such as %u201CNo one says a word because it breaks her heart%u201D. A glimmering interlude becomes a different creature entirely as an augmenting layer of synths and guitars rumble below it, a quickening beat brings the curtain down on %u2018Kamakura%u2019 before it reaches boiling point.
!['WW1 Portraits' - Weeks croons over a tribal beat which is sonically reminiscent of the frontman's side-project Young Colossus. The instrumental backing plays up to the spooky effect of his vocals which sounds more intense than ever; especially as it plunges into a full-on raucous crescendo midway through. Weeks stated that they made a conscious decision to 'not be shy with using percussion' - this track proves that there was no reason to be.]()
'WW1 Portraits' - Weeks croons over a tribal beat which is sonically reminiscent of the frontman's side-project Young Colossus. The instrumental backing plays up to the spooky effect of his vocals which sounds more intense than ever; especially as it plunges into a full-on raucous crescendo midway through. Weeks stated that they made a conscious decision to 'not be shy with using percussion' - this track proves that there was no reason to be.
!['Spit It Out' - A gentle piano intro starts 'Spit It Out' until the rest of the band segues in seamlessly. It builds for the majority of the song and cunningly holds back from dropping into the mania it seems to harness. The broody vocal has echoes of Kid-A era Radiohead on it as Weeks questions]()
'Spit It Out' - A gentle piano intro starts 'Spit It Out' until the rest of the band segues in seamlessly. It builds for the majority of the song and cunningly holds back from dropping into the mania it seems to harness. The broody vocal has echoes of Kid-A era Radiohead on it as Weeks questions "What are we doing now?" This is the first limelight moment for pianist Rebecca who is an important addition to their return.
![The vast gap between releases is warranted:]()
The vast gap between releases is warranted: "We ended up being a year into the process, exhausted, realising we had nothing, and not even knowing what we wanted it to sound like. We had to start again. It took twice as long as it should have."
![They enlisted the help of Echo & The Bunnymen producer Laurie Lathan. In an interview with The Daily Record Felix said:]()
They enlisted the help of Echo & The Bunnymen producer Laurie Lathan. In an interview with The Daily Record Felix said: "We got Laurie in because he was someone we trusted to sit in the studio and give us a bit of perspective. He came in for two weeks, listening in and giving us his opinion now and again and things started to take shape."
![The band really believe in the new material, in an interview with NME frontman Orlando Weeks said:]()
The band really believe in the new material, in an interview with NME frontman Orlando Weeks said: "It feels more self-assured, I feel confident in it, it has a real mix of all our different inputs, we as a band are doing what we need to feel comfortable with it."
![The 11-track album is going to be released on 31 July. The album artwork was released last week depicting the Faraday memorial on the Elephant & Castle roundabout, the band explained:]()
The 11-track album is going to be released on 31 July. The album artwork was released last week depicting the Faraday memorial on the Elephant & Castle roundabout, the band explained: "It is an extension of the albums intended association with the area, but more importantly, it is a beautiful but totally overlooked piece of architectural sculpture. It's this photographs ability to have made us look again and reappraise that ties it in so perfectly with themes of the record."
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