Following the release of their latest single ‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’, critically acclaimed and supported by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, London desert-rockers The Howlers have announced their debut EP ‘The Sum of Our Fears’, due for release on August 26th with the release of their new single ‘Lost Without You’. Produced and mixed by Theo Verney (Lazarus Kane, FEET, FUR) and Tarek Musa. Doused in greased back swagger (Circa Waves, Kagoule) at Echo Zoo Studios, and mastered at Third Man Records, the EP tackles navigating through struggles in life by remembering to find light in darkness, searching for beauty in despair. The Howlers are Adam Young (vocals, guitar), Cameron Black (drums) and Guus ter Braak (bass).the East London trio have undertaken three UK-wide tours since their formation over a year ago. The band quickly established themselves as one of the UK’s must-see live acts, gaining much deserved praise from radio royalty including BBC 6 Music, KEXP and BBC Radio 1 as well as major programming on BT Sport, SkySports and SoccerAm.
The Howlers drizzle a scorching desert guitar riff over bubbling beats and groovy bass line to create a sleek tune exuding confidence and sass. The shimmying rhythm oozes 60’s swag and an infectious hip coaxing groove while Young’s smooth vocals croon “did you ever know what it’s like to be alone, now your friends are far from home and left you on your own where do you suppose you go?”. His vocals tie the scorching instrumentation together with a cool nonchalant tone while the bright guitars ricochet off the rich rhythmic backdrop. Boasting oodles of charm and blazing instrumentation ‘Lost Without You‘ is well crafted, insanely catchy and feverishly thrilling.
Speaking about the track, Adam Young says “‘Lost Without You’ represents understanding what you really want out of life, and realising what you may want might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Just because something is right for one person does not mean it’s necessarily right for you and that no matter how many times you may get knocked down you get back up, that you shouldnt be scared to fail and find the strength to face up to your fears and carve your own path through life.”
He adds “All of us have been picked on at some stage for whatever reason, we as a band know that better than most, the petty playground rubbish you should only have to put up with as kids, but in all that hate is where you find the confidence to form your own identity and believe in yourself.”
East London Desert Rockers, The Howlers, are back with their new single, ‘I Don’t Love You All The Time.’The 3-piece consisting of Adam Young (vocals, guitar), Cameron Black (drums), and Guus ter Braak (bass) have undertaken three UK-wide tours since their formation over a year ago. The band quickly established themselves as one of the UK’s must-see live acts, gaining much deserved praise from radio royalty, including BBC 6 Music, KEXP, and BBC Radio 1 and major programming on BT Sport, SkySports, and SoccerAm.
‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’ surges with blazing desert rock swagger as The Howlers balance psychedelic rock with sleek 60’s pop sensibilities to create one heck of an anthemic belter. The band add rich layers to their sound by dripping spaghetti western-esque guitar lines over elastic bass grooves to create a hip-swaying wall of sound. They swiftly break this soundscape with a series of blitzing guitar riffs to announce the crashing chorus which is consumed in a fury of blazing instrumentation as lacerations on guitar splinters through the pummeling muggy rhythmic backdrop to create a thrilling fuzz-filled backdrop.
The Howlers have an impressive ability to drift from a dreamy sound to a sonic-filled frenzied display with ease. You can almost feel the sweltering desert heat emanating off the raw instrumental blasts as Adam Young’s vocals glide from a smooth croon to resounding rumbles.
The tight instrumental assault and clean production presented in ‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’ is exhilarating. The Howlers knock it out of the park with a single that is woozy with psychedelic touches and disorientating with intense grooves . A must listen.
Speaking about the track, Adam says,“‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’ is an ode to the trials and tribulations of love and loss in modern times, an observation about understanding how to come to terms with falling out of love whilst at the same time longing to be loved in kind.”
Watch the video for ‘I Don’t Love You All The Time’ below.
Since forming a little over a year ago, London’s desert-rockers The Howlers have quickly identified themselves as one of the UK’s must-see live acts. I caught up with frontman Adam Young to discuss the release of their upcoming EP and their UK tour set for the Spring.
The London-based three-piece have become known for their old school, gritty, desert sound reminiscent of Spaghetti Westerns. Their tracks feel like they could be the soundtrack to a Sergio Leone movie with an indie rock twist. Even their fashion sense reflects their musical style. An impressive impact to have for such a young band and movies is where this sound originated from.
“I don’t think it was a decision we made, it was natural to us. It was something that we were drawn to. We were all drawn to the iconography of the fashion and things like the 60s and 70s, and you know, spaghetti westerns are just comical and hilarious. It’s just the pageantry. When you watch a film like that, you know, that was filmed in the 60s and 70s, and it’s badly synced up with how the audio and the film is, and the story is rubbish. It’s almost like a parody of life. We really like the film scores from those movies, you know, Sergio Leone movies and Ennio Morricone soundtracks. They are just so emotive and we, as a band use our music to express how we’re emotionally feeling. We try and stay away from politics as much as possible because we think, every band at the moment thinks that to be a musician, you’ve got to be angry at the government. We’re all angry at the government, but people need a little bit of hope. So singing about, how we deal with our mental health or how we’ve gone through some of the most horrendous things we would never wish on anybody, I think is a refreshing take on it and so I guess it naturally falls into a sound that no one else is doing. Plus it’s pretty cool, to create an atmosphere on stage is a very hard thing to do. Everyone can go up there and jump around like they are at Wembley Stadium, but to create something that is emotive… bands like The Murder Capital, they do it amazingly well. They get on stage and express emotion in a very visceral way and I guess we’re trying to do that in a slightly different way.”
Snugly wrapped within this western – esque indie rock sound is the band’s emotive lyrics. The listener gets a glimpse of the pain and emotion Adam is working through. In particular ‘In My Apologies’ captures this perfectly.
“When it came to writing lyrics. Up until the more recent tunes that we’ve written which haven’t been released yet, they are being released in a couple of weeks, couple of months. I used to write by myself, I’m on the autistic spectrum, I have dyslexia and so how my brain works is a complete mess. I use songs as a way of expressing how my mind is just absolutely crushed or, you know, it’s quite a lonely place to be sometimes, and the boys often say that I pulled songs like ‘My Apologies’ and ‘County Lines’ out my ass. They just come out of nowhere but I just sort of walk into a room and go, what do you think of this I wrote this last night, and it was just one of those things.”
“Our songwriting, especially now, for the new material, we’ve taken the songwriting I had and was doing, and the rest of the boys have got involved as well and now it represents all of us and it is miles better. So, with ‘My Apologies’, I wrote that song the day before we recorded it in the studio and, I recorded it in one take. The lyrics came from a time in my life where I was realizing that I wasn’t happy and I met someone that changed my perspective of it and I gambled everything to chase that feeling. I wanted it to be quite raw. There’s a track that we’ve recorded that is as dark but I don’t know, sometimes I find it really hard to talk about my songwriting and art. I like for people to be able to just listen to it, feel moved in their own way. I think that’s quite important to let people understand our music differently.”
The Howlers have gained widespread praise from radio royalty, including BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, KEXP’s Cheryl Waters, and BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Sophie K, and Huw Stephens. In under 10 months, all 3 of their singles debuted on BBC Radio 1. It’s a fantastic achievement for an unsigned band to get such recognition. However, it wasn’t easy. The band had a tough time and a lot of fast learning to do within the industry.
“Yeah, unfortunately, because we had a bit of success that obviously attracts the more horrible people in the industry and we’ve been through a lot. People took advantage of that and we’ve just recently got back to ourselves. We built a team around us now, the most amazing individuals. The achievements we have with no major label backing, you know, it is amazing, but we’re always striving for the next thing. We’re not egotistical, we don’t go ‘yeah we’ve had this, we’ve made it’. It’s almost like, ‘we’ve got it that’s good, let’s go bigger.’ We will put in a good show and we’ll come offstage and we’ll beat ourselves up for like 10 minutes going ‘Nah that’s rubbish’ and that’s how we keep moving forward. Some of the best shows we’ve ever played, some of the shows where we got some of the best opportunities we’ve ever had, we came off stage and were depressed for like 10 or 15 minutes. It was just one of those things where I think as a band we appreciate everyone’s time. We want to keep giving people something that they appreciate and the same with radio and stuff, it’s nice to have that recognition. “
Since the beginning of 2020, The Howlers have been working on a series of records with Theo Verney (Traams, Fur, Egyption Blue, Pip Blom) and Tarek Musa (Spring King) producing and mixing as well as Third Man Records (The Black Keys, YAK, Jack White) conducting the Mastering. This collection of tracks sees the band deal with some heavy topics through the wonderfully expressive musicianship the band is known for.
“To understand it a little better. I lost a family member to COVID-19. We dealt with it the only way we knew how to, which was to lock ourselves away in a North London factory, a windowless room and we just spent 9,10 hours a day in that room just writing music together expressing the grief and the emotion and helping us go through that period. It just happened to be at the same time that the Black Lives Matter protest was going on. So, we would go to and from the studio every day to sirens and chanting and people queuing outside shops in masks. It was this time when we realized we were going to be who we want to be and we just tore up everything and went ‘let’s be ourselves, let’s get back to being who we are’. We were already close anyway we’re unbelievably tight both as musicians and more like family than friends, we’re like brothers to each other, and the new tunes represent that. It is the first time that Cam helped with songwriting in terms of lyrical content. He writes poetry and I said let’s use some of your poetry. Let’s get it in there. It’s the first time that we worked on every bit of a song together. We are unbelievably proud of what we’ve done.”
“It follows the same line, what we’ve done before, same sort of sound, that desert-y sound. It has gone a little bit more, West Coast. So, you know bands like the Allah-Las, Night Beats, Black Keys, things like that. We’ve just gone, ‘you know what, f*ck it let’s just do our thing’ and from the demos that we created, we managed to get this team around us, which is unbelievable. I still pinch myself and go how the bloody hell did we get there. The tracks were mastered and worked on by Third Man Records in America and it was the same guy who did Jack White’s debut album, The Black Keys’ albums, The Kills and he’s working on our records and that’s amazing. So yeah, I think people are gonna like it. It is miles better than what we’ve done before. So if you like what we did before you can’t, not like it.”
With no live gigs 2020 was a challenging year. However, The Howlers have scheduled a UK tour this Spring. The prospect of seeing The Howlers live I’m sure has excited many, considering the band is at their most raw and compelling in a live setting. Although it’s difficult for Adam to be hopeful for the shows to go ahead.
“I mean, it’s definitely getting postponed. So, yeah, it WILL happen. When it will happen I don’t know, it’s probably gonna get postponed to the end of the year. All the tickets will remain valid because I think it’s right to honor the people that supported us when we really needed them to, but we’ll see. We are known as a live band and I’m buzzing to get back to it”
Adam explained the difficult times the band had within the industry with people mistreating them. It is a scary journey sometimes for a new band to find their feet. Budding artists don’t know much about management or the industry and that does leave them open to people taking advantage. From his experience, Adam gave advice for anyone who might like to pursue a career in the music industry.
“As a band, we’re not stupid. We’ve all studied music and we’re very clued on. Unfortunately, we have been through some stuff that made us very vulnerable and people took advantage of that and as a result, we’ve got ourselves out of those situations and now we’re back to what is important… us. My advice for an artist is, you don’t always need to have the big goals that people strive for like a label or a publisher or anything like that sometimes you can do things on your own. We’re very fortunate that we’ve got a really good publisher behind us and that’s all we need really at the moment. Be prepared for it to be shit. You know, we’re sold this Hollywood dream that it’s champagne and cocaine and it’s more like pot noodles and cans of coke. That’s literally it, it’s one of those things, but it’s the best experience you’ll ever have and it’s the best job in the world. I’m very fortunate. It comes with tears and breakdowns and unbelievable happiness and frustration, but at the same time, I wouldn’t change it for the world. So, yeah, I just advise people to know what they’re entering into, realistically.“
The Howlers create intoxicating tunes bursting from the seams with emotion. Blood, sweat, and tears go into every song to make the blistering, infectious desert-soaked sound we have come to love from the band. The upcoming EP is no exception. After listening, I was blown away by the band’s proficient musicianship. Keep an eye out for the upcoming EP. It’s a doozy.
Hopefully, the bands live dates can go ahead if so you can catch The Howlers Live at
THE HOWLERS / PIXEL STUDIO A / Kentish Town / Shot by Rob Blackham / www.blackhamimages.com
After receiving notable support from BBC Radio 1, Radio X & Clash Magazine with debut single ‘La Dolce Vita’ East London Desert Rockers The Howlers are back with their follow up single ‘Matador’. Recently endorsed by Laney Amplification the band are continuing to drive home the hype that surrounded their debut single. The band will be playing a handful of shows around London and the UK to see the year out, as well as live shows the band will be back in the studio to finish their third single which will be released in early 2020.
‘Matador’ is a rousing piece of desert rock as The Howlers lasso your ears with their sweltering musicianship and exhilarating sound. With bracing whines on guitar the band delve deep into a mystery soaked biting atmosphere while the relentless drums and dynamic bass roar and rumble through the blistering wall of sound. The track exudes swagger as the cool vocals gravel between the stinging backdrop. Its western – esque bravado and spiky coating adds fiery intensity while the smooth melody and anthemic eruption for the chorus make this track something your ears will crave to hear again. ‘Matador’ is an intoxicating new single from The Howlers.
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From The Howlers
The Howlers have released their debut single ‘LA Dolce Vita’. Formed in May 2018, London’s Desert Rockers The Howlers have gone on to receive critical acclaim for their ferocious live performances.The track has been played on BBC Radio 1’s Indie Show as well as on John Kennedy’s show on Radio X.
‘LA Dolce Vita’ is a searing debut as The Howlers introduce themselves with a scorching sound – blistered, festered and coiled in desert western-esque guitar and confident instrumentation. Catchy and razor sharp, the track simmers through rooted bass and flexible drum laced verses while the sizzling guitar whines majestically through the humid backdrop. With raspy vocals, infectious chorus and sing along lyrics- this sweltering number blasts through on refined, swagger steeped instrumentation. The Howlers ooze rough and ready panache and ‘LA Dolce Vita’ is an exhilarating debut to announce them. The rawness and precise musicianship is quite masterful and makes for one thrilling track.
Minneapolis, Minnesota rock trio Johnny Yuma have recently released their EP ‘Rest In Peace’. The band comprised of members Elliot Heerman on Bass and Lead Vocals, Patrick Irwin on Guitar and Jane “Damage” Halldorson on Drums have created their own brand of Dusty, Dirty, Rock’n Roll that makes for an engaging electrifying listen. From the get-go these guys blast straight into their no-nonsense raw neck snapping bluesy rock. ‘Alabama Woman’ sets the brisk tempo as crashing guitars and punchy drums whirlwind through a stop start pace while raspy vocals expel swagger soaked fiery attitude. It’s one for dizzying confusion of the sweaty mosh pits. The riff driven ‘Knock Knock’ brings us further into their blistering rock and roll as guitars jaggedly saw through pummeling drums while an elastic rumble on bass keeps the track running along. A scorching guitar solo shreds with a shrilling desert hot western vibe while the punchy rhythm trudges along keeping the rapid tempo. These guys exude a don’t mess with me attitude with slick swagger thrown on top. ‘Cellophane’ continues the relentless stamina of its predecessors while smudging a catchy 60’s- esque melody over their rambunctiously ruffled frenzy inducing garage backdrop. Razor sharp guitars once again blister and pierce throughout the track however in this track they have a slinky liquidity to their acidic sting. ’Mother’s And Sailors’ gives us a much needed breather from the heavy assault. This light county twanged ditty gives us another glimpse at Johnny Yuma’s talents. Still energetic this number is more buoyant, sweetly toned and infectiously peppy. Who can resist a cheeky little whistle along feature especially when it’s this catchy. Barn dance anyone?… don’t mind if I do. ‘Whisper’ brings us to a scuzzy end to the EP. It’s fuzzed up, lean and mean, ready for bar brawl rock and roll. It’s grungy rough and tumble with gritty guitars pulverising drums and sneering vocals that will make your blood coil and boil forcing you to mosh and jump about. Fueled by bad ass adrenaline from the deep dark depths of Minnesota these guys whack out one heck of a tune that will slap you in the face at lightning speeds.
‘Rest In Peace’ is an EP for blasting into your ears at worrying volumes while you headbang, dance and attempt air guitar like a boss. It’s a solid, swagger drenched, meaty display from the trio that will rattle your bones.
Nashville based newcomer Willie Breeding has released his new single ‘Ride On’ with his debut album ‘Big Sky’ set for release later this summer. This lonesomely haunting western- esque track is immersed in rich wavy melodies seeped between gritty guitars that churn and coil around Breeding’s deep country baritone. The ghostly yet sweet backing vocals provided by Emily Hagihara create a chilling atmosphere as they wisp about the track while the Americana- esque sound fills it with a head strong lone ranger vibe. The guitar riff instantly grabs attention as it builds into a shrilling cinematic tremble on guitar before the guns and holster showdown. It’s nostalgically sweet yet dangerously gripping and dramatic while the melty melancholic melody flurries along-lighthearted and carefree. Perfectly crafted this track is both picturesque and musically exciting. Willie Breeding is one to keep an eye out for, his style is magnificently unique and utterly thrilling.
When asked about the track Breeding explains “It’s a song making fun of myself, When I first moved to Nashville, I used to go out and often when I would walk into the bar, I would walk straight through it and out the back door. It wasn’t a conscious thing, I almost wouldn’t even remember being in the bar. Then I would have no idea where to go or what to do. Living in New York, I always loved going out by myself. Did it for years. Nashville seemed very different. So I wanted the music to sound huge, and I had this big riff. Seemed appropriate for a song making fun of myself.”
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Black Honey
Black Honey have released their new single ‘Dig’. Mixing dreamy hazy vibes with sharp dazzling stings and dark dangerous tones it’s the multi-dimensional banger we expect from the four piece. Sultry vocals brood over delusion inducing spaghetti Western- esque guitars and a sticky slap beat. With a wispy vaporous soundscape and breezy crisp instrumentation, it’s the cinematic spine-chiller we hoped for and more. Smooth and croony the track sways and glides in with an eerie undertone and haunting backing vocals smothered in a daydream daze. The track becomes a little heavier as it progresses with gritty guitar lines and punchy drums creating a chilling sharp sense of danger. It’s a mysterious steamy creation from Black Honey. These guys are unstoppable.
Civil Villains are London trio Mark Hudson (Bass), James King (Guitar & Vocals) and Toby Warren (Drums & Vocals). These long time friends have created a sound that is hard to pin down. Walking the tightrope between mathy alt-rock and desert riffage. Having played in all manner of London venues, Civil Villains have recently returned from a North American tour, where they performed headline shows in Toronto and Cambridge, played Envol et Macadam Festival in Quebec City, and Mondo. NYC Festival in New York. Recently they were main support for Listener at The Borderline, played with Tides from Nebula and Polymath at The Boston Music Room (London), and Wild Throne at The Old Blue Last (London). They are now set to release their forthcoming double A-side Heathens and Cream // Haunted Hokum on December 2nd via Milky Bomb Records, which was recorded at Brighton Electric with Josh Harrison (Royal Blood, Tigercub, British Sea Power).
Civil Villains present us with two uniquely creative and complex tracks.
‘Heathens and Cream’ is a spine tingling hair raisingly chilling track coated in a darkened eerie atmosphere with thick slimy guitar licks and flexible sensual luring bass. Deep enthralling vocals give a haunting yet seductively captivating creepy quality to the verse. It tempts you and draws you into the track, while the howl like screech and growl for the chorus adds aggression and a frightening realisation of danger. Featuring atypical rhythmic structures ‘Heathens and Cream’ leaves you wondering what you have just experienced yet yearning to hear more. ‘Haunted Hokum’ is my favourite of the two its rapid slap bounce beat and Queens Of The Stone Age – esque vocals once again hook and lure you into the quicksand of infectiously sweet sensual entrapment of the melody. Steamy sultry desert hot guitars sting and burn with striking chords and scorching licks. The enticing driving bass lulls and coaxes its prey into a spellbinding comma fully submissive to this enchanting beguiling track.
Civil Villains display fantastic musicianship with their double A-side Heathens and Cream // Haunted Hokum. Its a bubbling concoction of moody erratic indie blended with gritty rock with a whole load of steamy sensual haunting confusion thrown in, add a dash of the sweet comfort of nectarous tones on guitar and your hooked.
Watch the video for ‘Heathens and Cream’ below
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Alexandra Savior
Portland, Oregon’s mysterious bewitching singer songwriter Alexandra Savior is captivating audiences with her laid back desert rock and sultry crooning vocals. We did a feature on her single ‘Shades’ earlier in the summer and she is back with another addictive dose. ‘M.T.M.E.’ floods us with dark intoxicating tones, smouldering sultry vocals that lull and coax the listener with the sharp sting of guitar adding a sizzling and scorching sun effect. The bubbling beat consumes the listener in a muggy yet comfortable hypnotic enclosure. The added scream gives a shock to the system and adds danger to the shadowy tone. The scorching guitar solo teamed with menacing keys to finish adds a frightening eerie end.
Put it on repeat and become engrossed by this enthralling mesmerising track.
Stream ‘M.T.M.E.’ below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
