Woes are set to release their most ambitious effort to date in the form of their hotly-anticipated debut album Awful Truth, which is due 28th June on UNFD.
As a taster of what to expect the band drop new single and fan-favourite Money Shoe today, which sees Woes’ sound take flight, blurring the lines between pop punk, hip hop and R&B. “I think it’s the most honest and complete representation of what we want to sound like”, explains vocalist DJ. “It has elements of pop-punk, hip-hop, prog-metal, RnB and flows between them super naturally. The song is about being broke and wanting to use music to provide a better life for your loved ones. We approached with a perspective that matches up more closely with what you would expect from a rapper, rather than a pop-punk band, which gave us some real stand-out lyrics to go along with the music”.
Money Shoe follows previous single Suburbs; both tracks feature on Woes’ forthcoming debut album Awful Truth, which produced by Seb Barlow (Neck Deep, WSTR, Roam) and debuts the addition of guitarist Luke Bovill to the band.
“Awful Truth is a record about the realities of the progression of our band over the last 18 months”, explains DJ, “Going from some guys occasionally playing gigs and trying to practice every week. to playing a sold out show at Brixton, having people turned away from our Slam Dunk sets because they were full, touring the UK and Europe 5 times in a year.
And it’s about the duality of that experience. So, on the one hand, we’re doing all these insane things, seeing all of our hard work start to pay off, meeting all these people that love our music. But on the other hand, we’re broke, it’s taking a huge toll on our relationships back home, having to take huge periods of time off work unpaid… Luke had to quit his job at one point, no savings, no real backup plan. And the record talks about both sides of the coin, we were lucky in a sense that we were writing and recording at the same time – it’s a real look into making your first record. The stress, the pressure, but then the moments of accomplishment that make it worthwhile”
Track listing
1. Boy
2. Fake Friends
3. Fancy
4. Money Shoe
5. Awful Truth
6. Suburbs
7. Mess
8. Cross
9. Gone Forever
10. Ugly
Awful Truth follows last year’s acclaimed Self Help EP, which launched the four-piece into the eye of rock press (KKKK – Kerrang!, ‘Bold’ – Rock Sound, 9/10 – Discovered) and landed a hefty touring schedule; highlights include support to Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, State Champs,Seaway, 2000 Trees, Download and Slam Dunk.
Armed with new music, Woes are raring to hit the road again. Catch them on the road in Europe with Millencollin now, followed by a UK headline run in June and support to Trash Boat in the UK this September.
Woes became a fully fledged proposition in 2016, growing from Edinburgh’s burgeoning music scene. Signing to UNFD, the band released Self Help in 2018 and garnered support from the likes of Kerrang!, Rock Sound, BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Kerrang! Radio and Upset.
Woes are more than just a one trick pony, taking pop punk to new heights by embracing their love of pop, hip hop and R&B, and using elements from these genres in their sound. “There is definitely a conscious effort to start expanding our sound, to bring in different instruments and elements that we haven’t used before,” says DJ, “We love loads of modern hip-hop and RnB, which is something we plan to explore more in 2019. We also like incorporating math-rock and prog chords and progressions into our instrumentals… But we still want that pop punk energy live”.
Woes are anything but unpredictable. Watch this space for further news.
LIVEsupporting Millencolin
2 May – Fribourg Nouveau Monde (CH)
3 May – Trezzo (Milan) Live Club (IT)
4 May – Cesena Vidia Club (IT)
5 May – Munich Muffat Halle (GE)
Headline tour
28 Jun – Glasgow Attic (UK)
29 Jun – Newcastle Head Of Steam (UK)
30 Jun – Nottingham Bodega (UK)
1 Jul – Bristol Exchange (UK)
2 Jul – Worcester Marrs Bar (UK)
3 July – Bournemouth Anvil (UK)
4 July – Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms (UK)
6 July – Liverpool Zanzibar (UK)
suppporting Trash Boat
12 Sep – Birmingham O2 Institute (UK
13 Sep – London Islington Academy (UK)
14 Sep – Leeds Stylus (UK)
15 Sep – Glasgow G2 (UK)