As they gear up for what will be their first studio album for 6 years – The Blood Choir – are pleased to unveil a fresh new single: The Boat.
Given the radio premiere honours by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson (who described it as “a brilliant piece of Post-Rock”) the track is set to appear on their long awaited second LP, ‘Houses of The Sun’ – out 22nd June 2018 (via Village Recordings).
A swirling maelstrom of feedback drenched guitars and disarticulated beats driven by a rhythm that rises as relentlessly as the tides, it will perhaps come as little surprise that the surreal qualities of this atmospheric piece have their origins beyond the waking world.
‘The chorus melody came to me in a dream” muses Robin Maddicott, “the recording took a long time. It was one of the first songs we started back in 2013. It went through 3 or 4 complete remakes before we reached the final version. To me it has an Arvo Part, Philip Glass quality to it. I was listening to a lot of that stuff at the time.’
The Boat single is accompanied by a stunning video, shot using time-lapse photography, of a container ship traversing the world’s oceans. Speaking about the inspiration for the video, Joe Mountain of The Blood Choir says:
‘I was talking with James Walker, who directed the “Switching off the Perfume Garden” video, about how we wanted to create something kinetic, with constant forward movement. That idea seemed to fit with the feel of the song. We pretty much visualised the video, as it is now, in that first conversation.’
The Boat, alongside cerebral album teaser “Switching off the Perfume Garden” (a track similarly championed by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson as “something rather special”), will both appear on The Blood Choir’s upcoming album.
Released via their own Village Recordings label (22 June 2018), the new record will be the Anglo-Danish duo’s first long-player since 2012’s acclaimed debut ‘No Windows to the Old World’ and will see the pairing of Robin Maddicott and Joe Mountain assume their joint moniker once more for the release.
In anticipation of the new release, The Blood Choir are also pleased to announce a run of UK tour dates taking place throughout May, with confirmed appearances in Bristol, London, Cardiff, Bath and more – full dates and details below.
THE BLOOD CHOIR – MAY UK TOUR DATES
Fri 18 May – The Barrel House Ballroom, Totnes
Sat 19 May – Mr. Wolf’s, Bristol
Wed 23 May – Paper Dress Vintage, London
Thu 24 May – Gwdihw Café Bar, Cardiff
Fri 25 May – Schtumm @ The Queen’s Head, Box
Sat 26 May – Moles Club, Bath