The Slow Readers Club have shared their new track, ‘Jericho’, the latest to be taken from their upcoming fourth album The Joy Of The Return, out on March 20th via Modern Sky UK.
Opening to an infectiously upbeat blend of bright guitar lines and propulsive drums, the track undulates between danceable angular beats and lush, anthemic passages which provide an arena-sized taste of what to expect from the album.
“Jericho’s our ‘sunniest’ track to date, and hopefully a good indicator of the variety people can expect from the album,” says singer Aaron Starkie. “Plus it’s got a great hook in Kurt’s riff. Lyrically, I’d say it’s probably the track that most closely relates to the Joy Of The Return of the album’s title, as it’s written from the perspective of my teenage self.
“It’s a teenage romance song really, about that moment, on the threshold of a new relationship, where you begin to surrender yourself. As a band, it’s one of our favourites on the album, and came together quite easily from first jam through practice sessions. The chorus was the most challenging aspect as we really had to get the feel of that right.”
‘Jericho’ follows previous single ‘All I Hear’, released earlier in the year to acclaim from the likes of Steve Lamacq and Chris Hawkins at BBC 6Music, who premiered the track. Recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and produced by long-standing collaborator Phil Bulleyment, The Joy Of The Return marks a significant change in the band’s process, with their extensive touring allowing them time to write and develop tracks and arrangements through soundchecks and back-of-van jams.
Throughout the album, the band explore a vast swathe of sonic territory, with the dark power-pop that defined their previous releases still holding a strong influence. ‘No Surprise’ provides a powerful dose of evocative, brooding lyricism amid immersive soundscapes, while the unsettling ‘Paris’ is an undulating exploration of observational songwriting and eclectic musicality.
Elsewhere, the swelling, arena-sized ‘Zero Hour’ displays the enormity of The Slow Readers Club sound and sets the precedent for their incredibly exciting future, before ‘The Wait’ closes the album with a beautifully absorptive combination of atmospheric synths flipping the pace of the record on its head to intoxicating effect.
The new album comes on the back of a stellar 2019 for the band, which saw them play a mammoth 32-date European tour, and a number of sold out UK shows including London’s The Dome and two consecutive nights at Manchester’s The Ritz following the release of their critically acclaimed third album, Build A Tower.
The Slow Readers Club will embark on an extensive tour throughout the UK and EU in March, April and May, including shows in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol and London’s Electric Ballroom, with many close to selling out. The band will also perform a number of in-store shows in Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Full dates can be found below.
Ahead of the tour, on Thursday 19th March, the band will play an intimate hometown show at Manchester’s Night & Day Café. A ticket link for the show will be made available closer to the date to everyone who has pre-ordered The Joy Of The Return from the band’s website. More details can be found here – https://www.theslowreadersclub.co.uk/posts/night-and-day
SPRING 2020 UK & EU TOUR DATES
19/03 – Night & Day Café, Manchester
20/03 – Jumbo, Leeds (in-store, 6pm)
21/03 – Rough Trade, Nottingham (in-store, 2pm)
21/03 – Beartree, Sheffield (in-store, 6pm)
23/03 – King George’s Hall, Blackburn
24/03 – Reflex, Newcastle (in-store, 3pm)
24/03 – The Sage 2, Gateshead
25/03 – Assai, Edinburgh (in-store, 1.30pm)
25/03 – The Liquid Room, Edinburgh
27/03 – O2 Academy, Liverpool
28/03 – O2 Institute 2, Birmingham
29/03 – The Globe, Cardiff
30/03 – Thekla, Bristol
01/04 – Pyramids Centre, Portsmouth
02/04 – Concorde 2, Brighton
03/04 – Electric Ballroom, London
04/04 – Rock City, Nottingham
06/04 – Junction, Cambridge
07/04 – Foundry, Sheffield
08/04 – Beckett University, Leeds
09/04 – Pyramid & Parr Hall, Warrington
13/04 – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
14/04 – Trix Hall, Antwerp
16/04 – Luxor, Cologne
17/04 – Poligamie Festival, Dresden
19/04 – St. Pauli Rock Café, Hamburg
20/04 – Vega, Copenhagen
21/04 – Nalen, Stockholm
22/04 – John Dee, Oslo
24/04 – Musik & Freiden, Berlin
26/04 – Café V Lese, Prague
27/04 – A38, Budapest
29/04 – Culture Factory, Zagreb
30/04 – Papiersaal, Zurich
02/05 – Mare Culturale, Milan
03/05 – Montluçon, Le Guingois
05/05 – Supersonic, Paris
Tickets are available here – theslowreadersclub.co.uk/live-dates