After announcing details of the debut album ‘Northern Gentleman’ on what would’ve been co-founder Andy Rourke’s 60th birthday, Blitz Vega today share the new single ‘Lost Myself’. The band – Andy Rourke and Kav Sandhu – will then release ‘Northern Gentleman’ on September 27th.
‘Lost Myself’ is a song which perfectly encapsulates the whirlwind of emotions that have emerged from the Blitz Vega story. Its verses possess a taut intensity, with Kav’s hushed vocals expressing the full vulnerability of his lyrics. But then the song takes flight into its hook, with sorrowful strings and gospel-tinged vocal harmonies supporting the raw feeling of his words. The track’s climactic guitar solo takes it somewhere else entirely, evoking the catharsis of beginning to come to terms with such a loss.
Kav says, “‘Lost Myself’ was both of our favourite songs on the album. It was inspired by our journeys of losing people and the moments of dealing with grief, trying to find the balance to be able to get on with life. Although we wrote the song in the summer of 2019, I rewrote the lyrics early in 2023 when I was travelling back from NYC to LA finishing the album whilst seeing Andy in hospital dealing with his illness.
The song reflected my own personal experience of coping with the situation. It is about finding yourself in the lowest possible place and climbing up to the light. The guitar solo at the end is like the breath of fresh air you experience after being able to find that moment of peace.”
The accompanying ‘Lost Myself’ video mirrors the song’s poignancy. It focuses on Kav seeking a little relief with the help of a Californian road trip escape, interspersed with archive footage that highlights Andy’s contribution to Blitz Vega, both on-stage and in the studio.
With the long-awaited release of ‘Northern Gentleman’ now approaching, it feels fitting to reflect upon how Andy Rourke and Kav Sandhu first connected. The catalyst was another Manchester legend: Mani of The Stone Roses, who invited Andy to see a then 17-year-old Kav play a gig. While Andy was impressed, the pair didn’t meet again for years until they were both at Coachella, where Kav was performing with the Happy Mondays. They shared a natural camaraderie and tentatively talked of working on music together.
They grew closer when they both moved to the States. Andy had released the ‘Science Agrees’ album with D.A.R.K. but felt lost as to what to do next following the tragic loss of bandmate Dolores O’Riordan. So when Kav suggested they extend their previous sessions together into a band project, it galvanised both parties – not only creatively, but personally too. Even after Andy’s cancer diagnosis, he would often head to the studio soon after treatment and spend hours enjoying the simple pleasures of hanging out with his friend and working on music together.
While the album had been largely written and recorded prior to Andy’s passing, Kav vowed to his friend that he would complete it. And that’s what he did, putting the finishing touches to the record in the latter months of 2023, a process that felt like a bittersweet honour. He also promised that Blitz Vega would play live, a mission that he has started with select London shows at the Scala and The Gallery at Tileyard – expect more soon.
Recent promo ahead of the album’s release has included Kav Sandhu’s sharing the Blitz Vega story with ITV during an interview filmed at Old Trafford, and a 5 Albums I Can’t Live Without feature for SPIN.