WILL VARLEY NEW VIDEO 'LET IT SLIDE' TAKEN FROM 'SPIRIT OF MINNIE' OUT 9 FEBRUARY 2018

On the eve of his UK headline tour, Will Varley today releases a new track ‘Let It Slide’, which arrives just ahead of his forthcoming fifth studio album Spirit Of Minnie, released 9 February 2018 through Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder the album.

The nine date tour - which includes his largest London show to date at the iconic 02 Shepherds Bush Empire on album release day - sees Will performing for the first time backed by a full band. Easing along atop a languid sway, ‘Let It Slide’ finds Will and his band pared right back to create one of Spirit Of Minnie's most hushed and exposed moments yet. Listen here:

Just a few days after the release of Spirit Of Minnie, Will heads Stateside to join friends and labelmates Skinny Lister on a huge tour around USA, before returning to play live dates across Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Netherlands.

Following 2016’s much praised Kingsdown Sundown and a sold out show at London’s Union Chapel, Spirit Of Minnie marks a distinct change of direction for the singer songwriter, recording for the first time with a full band set up. Produced by Cameron McVey (Massive Attack, Portishead, Neneh Cherry), the new album expands on the pared back musical palette of Varley’s previous sound, all the while retaining his gift for painterly, affirming and immediate lyric writing.

Aided by McVey’s nuanced, widescreen production and already counting the likes of Billy Bragg, Valerie June and Frank Turner among his fans, the young songwriter from Deal seems poised for a huge 2018.

UK HEADLINE TOUR
30 January - Birmingham @ 02 Institute 3  
31 January - Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms 
1 February - Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club 
2 February - Edinburgh @ La Belle Angele
3 February - Manchester @ Club Academy
6 February - Southampton @ 1865
7 February - Cardiff @ The Globe
8 February - Bristol @ Trinity Centre
9 February - London @ Shepherds Bush Empire

Spirit Of Minnie tracklisting
1. All Those Stars
2. Seven Days
3. Screenplays
4. Breaking The Bread
5. Statues
6. Spirit Of Minnie
7. Let It Slide
8. Postman
9. Insect

DUCKING PUNCHES SONG 'DISTANT SHADOWS' FROM NEW ALBUM 'ALAMORT'

Limbering up for their eagerly awaited new album Alamort, out 16 February 2018, Ducking Punches are back to whet appetites with a brand new single, 'Distant Shadows'. 

Listen to “Distant Shadows” here or also on Spotify.

Unafraid to flaunt their literary chops, the title of this latest track is an intended lyrical play on the words of the ancient Roman poet and philosopher, Horace: “Pulvis et umbra sumus" or "We are but dust and shadow”.

Swooping and diving with wild abandon, 'Distant Shadows' never loses sight of Ducking Punches' undeniable knack for earworm infested melodies and a clifftop-howling chorus. Ramped up on reverb-drenched riffs and sporting a relentless percussive pummel, this dynamic single is surely only further evidence of Ducking Punches coming good on the promise of an altogether darker, heavier and more bruising affair for listeners keenly anticipating their latest long-player.

Offering further insight into the heart of 'Distant Shadows', frontman Dan Allen says: “'Distant Shadows' is about drifting apart from friends through a lack of trying and a lack of common ground. It focuses on how fickle friendships are not healthy to have in your life. The title is a play on words, taking the line from Horace, and twisting the meaning.”

As with previous singles 'Smoking Spot' and 'Sobriety', 'Distant Shadows' too was tracked and mixed at Crooked Rain Studio in Leeds by Bob Cooper (Nai Harvest / Citizen / The Orielles) and further mastered at Sonic Iguana Studio by punk rock guru Mass Giorgini (Anti-Flag / Rise Against). A hattrick of singles more daredevil than anything they have produced before, the choice of studio staff and resultant sound all begin to paint a picture of a band casting off any and all former folk associations and plummeting further and deeper into the realms of post-punk and hardcore. 
 
Around the release of the album, the band will also be playing a series of live dates including a launch party at London’s The Lexington (16 Feb) and an unmissable hometown show at The Arts Centre in Norwich (17 Feb). Plus, the band are now delighted to announce a slew of shows across the UK for later in the year, with pit stops across Wales, Scotland and England - full dates and details on our gigs page.

WILL VARLEY NEW VIDEO 'SEVEN DAYS' // PREORDER 'SPIRIT OF MINNIE' OUT 9 FEBRUARY 2018

Will Varley has revealed ‘Seven Days’, the latest track from forthcoming fifth studio album Spirit Of Minnie, released 9 February 2018 through Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder on white or red vinyl, CD and download. 

Propelled by Varley’s burnished vocals & an innate gift for relatable lyricism, the track arrives alongside an animated music video created by Varley himself. It's almost a nostlagic callback to his video for fan favourite 'Weddings & Wars' - watch it below.

Compelled by the track’s affirmation of life’s fleeting, milestone moments, Varley has created the monochrome pixel art animation which accompanies the release of ‘Seven Days’, influenced by the classic 8-bit dos games of his own 90s childhood.

Following 2016’s much-praised Kingsdown Sundown and a sold out show at London’s Union Chapel, ‘Spirit Of Minnie’ marks a distinct change of direction for the singer songwriter, being the first time he has recorded with a full backing band. Produced by Cameron McVey (Massive Attack, Portishead, Neneh Cherry), the new album expands on the pared back musical palette of Varley’s previous sound, all the while retaining his gift for painterly, affirming and immediate lyric writing.

Aided by McVey’s nuanced, widescreen production and the warm cascading sound of his new band, ‘Spirit Of Minnie’, straddles Will's sound and style from past to present. Counting the likes of Billy Bragg, Valerie June and Frank Turner as his fans, and with tours scheduled across Europe and America, the young songwriter from Deal seems poised for a huge 2018.

UK HEADLINE TOUR (see dates and grab tickets for all Will Varley dates on our gigs page)

JANUARY
30 Birmingham @ 02 Institute 3
31 Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms

FEBRUARY
01 Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
02 Edinburgh @ La Belle Angele
03 Manchester @ Club Academy
06 Southampton @ 1865
07 Cardiff @ The Globe
08 Bristol @ Trinity Centre
09 London @ Shepherds Bush Empire

Spirit Of Minnie tracklisting

1. All Those Stars
2. Seven Days
3. Screenplays
4. Breaking The Bread
5. Statues
6. Spirit Of Minnie
7. Let It Slide
8. Postman
9. Insect

facebook.com/willvarleymusic/ / Twitter: @WillVarleyMusic / www.willvarley.com

GET CAPE. WEAR CAPE. FLY. - WATCH LIVE VIDEO FOR NEW SONG 'VHS FOREVER' // NEW ALBUM 'YOUNG ADULT' OUT 19 JANUARY 2018

One week away from the release of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly's new album Young Adult – out 19 January 2018 – Sam Duckworth has released a live video for 'VHS Forever'. The album track will be available instantly to those who preorder the album on CD, vinyl or download.

Ignited by an irresistible three-chord riff, this retro-futuristic bottle rocket of fizzing synthesisers and beatific brass is just one of many stratospheric highs to be found on the first Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly album in four years.

A treasure trove of golden couplets and diamond one-liners, ‘VHS Forever’ sees Duckworth offering his unique perspective on the shear nuttiness of consumer trends in the here and now. He says:

"'VHS Forever' is probably the most absurd of the songs on the album. It’s a little bit of fun really. So much of the music that I’ve made previously has been quite heavy and quite political. I just wanted to write a song that highlighted the ridiculousness of feeling like all eras are being relived and rehashed at once, perpetual nostalgia. With one foot in pub rock (especially Dr Feelgood) and another in Britpop, I wanted to write a three-chord pub rock song that was fun and didn’t take itself too seriously.

For me it’s odd because now I’m 31 years old, and the fashion of the current age looks exactly the same as the fashion of the age when I was growing up. Being an artist that’s been around for a long time a lot of people say to me: ‘I used to remember you from my primary school’ and I just think, well I’m talking to adults who remember me from their childhood, when in some ways I still feel like I’m still a child myself. [In ‘VHS Forever’] I’m just trying to wrap it all up into a nice little bubble in a way that doesn’t feel too heavy.”  

New single ‘VHS Forever’ sits alongside formerly released tracks “Adults”, “Always”, “Just A Phase”, and “DNA”, all of which are available to watch / listen to now, ahead of the full album release.

Plus, to mark the release Sam Duckworth, plus a full band (the same band as featured in the ‘VHS Forever’ video) will be launching the new album with an unmissable one-off live performance at The Village Underground, London on 18th January 2018. Get your tickets here.

WILL VARLEY NEW SONG 'STATUES' // TAKEN FROM NEW ALBUM 'SPIRIT OF MINNIE' OUT 9 FEBRUARY 2018 // PREORDER NOW

Will Varley has released ‘Statues’, the latest track from his forthcoming fifth studio album Spirit Of Minnie, released February 9, 2018 through Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder it on CD, vinyl and download.
 
Unfurling from its sparse, organ and slide guitar-backed beginnings, ‘Statues’ explores the push-pull between our past, present and future selves. Swelling to a fully-fleshed, resonant chorus which posits the idea that time is deceptively static, ‘Statues’ finds Will’s songwriting intersecting with ideas of regret and uncertainty, observed with his distinctive lightness of touch.

Following 2016’s much praised Kingsdown Sundown and a sold out show at London’s Union Chapel, ‘Spirit Of Minnie’ marks a distinct change of direction for the singer songwriter, being the first time he has recorded with a full backing band. Produced by Cameron McVey (Massive Attack, Portishead, Neneh Cherry), the new album expands on the pared back musical palette of Varley’s previous sound, all the while retaining his gift for painterly, affirming and immediate lyric writing.
 
After a run of UK shows the album will come out on the same day he plays his biggest headline show to date at the iconic 02 Shepherds Bush Empire. See all dates on our Gigs page.

UK HEADLINE TOUR 2018

JANUARY 2018
30 Birmingham @ 02 Institute 3  
31 Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms

FEBRUARY 2018
01 Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
02 Edinburgh @ La Belle Angele
03 Manchester @ Club Academy
06 Southampton @ 1865
07 Cardiff @ The Globe
08 Bristol @ Trinity Centre
09 London @ O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

facebook.com/willvarleymusic / Twitter: @WillVarleyMusic / http://www.willvarley.com/

DUCKING PUNCHES NEW VIDEO 'SMOKING SPOT' // FROM NEW ALBUM 'ALAMORT' OUT 16 FEBRUARY 2018 // PREORDER NOW

Ducking Punches have released their latest video for 'Smoking Spot', another new song taken from forthcoming album Alamort. The new album is out 16 February 2018. Preorder here.

'Smoking Spot' is a dizzying thrill-a-second rush of splintered guitars, cascading percussion and chest-pounding vocals. With a tangible yearning to break free rippling through the track, the song has its head and heart possessed with notions of escapism. As filmed at one of the band's own old haunts and headspace hideaways, the accompanying music video offers an intimate reflection of the song's lyrical themes. Watch 'Smoking Spot' below:

Opening up about the new single, plus the touching tribute to a close friend of the band's hidden within the video, Dan Allen of Ducking Punches said:

"This is a song about a private place I have with my buddies, where we've made some of the brightest memories. We'd often drive out there if someone was having a bad time and take in the expansive world around us, realising how small we all are, which in turn would alleviate the pain of our problems. It's humbling and grounding at the same time. We shot the video and let off a bunch of fireworks at one of these spaces. The fireworks that grace tons of our videos act as a tribute to my closest friend that we lost. Smoking spot is for friendship, for love and for those shared burdens on tired shoulders."
 
Around the release of the album, the band will also be playing a series of live dates including a launch party at London’s The Lexington (16 Feb) and an un-missable hometown show at The Arts Centre in Norwich (17 Feb). 

Catch Ducking Punches at the following dates:

FEBRUARY 2018
16 London @ The Lexington
17 Norwich @ The Arts Centre

APRIL 2018
27 Bolton @ The Alma
28 Shelby @ Pop Punk Pile UpFestival.
 
MAY 2018
05 D-Deutzen, Germany @ Rock am Kuhteich
25 Hamburg, Germany @ Gängeviertel festival
26 Braunschweig, Germany @ B58

JUNE 2018
16 Bavaria, Germany @ Indie Festival

JULY 2018
13-15 Tábor, Czech Republic @ Mighty Sounds

With more to be added.

Ducking Punches are: 
 
Dan Allen  // Pete Wright // Marcus Gooda // Ryan Hillier

facebook.com/duckingpunchesuk / Twitter: @duckingpunches / duckingpunches.bandcamp.com