(24th July) –– London six-piece Flat Party today return with new single "Shotgun" - out now on Submarine Cat Records. Signalling the follow up to their widely praised self-titled debut EP released in January earlier this year, Flat Party will celebrate the release of "Shotgun" this Friday 26th July at the Windmill Brixton, London.
Wrapping flamboyance, humour and complex emotions around urgent, shapeshifting art-rock, Flat Party have garnered a reputation as one of the most thrilling live bands in the country, with notable tours and dates supporting English Teacher, Courting, Opus Kink, FEET and Goat Girl - as well as playing up and down the country to rousing sold-out crowds of their own.
On new single "Shotgun", Flat Party's charismatic vocalist Jack Lawther moves with a refreshing self-deprecating swagger, to a backdrop of riff-laden, 80's flecked grooves.
"An ode to hedonism" - by Lawther's own admission - his playful imagery "Cruising round the table to play tennis with your pupils", is matched by his unwavering frankness "Spill my guts at the bar / Wish I’d spilled them across the road".
On the release of "Shotgun", Lawther said:
"Shotgun is an ode to hedonism, but it’s also full of self-loathing and anxiety. There’s a lyric in there based on a quote I read that was “The sun never sets on the British Empire, because even God couldn’t trust the English in the dark”, I thought that was brilliant. Musically, it’s a bit of a pisstake to be honest. I wrote it very quickly as a bit of a jab at the sea of cowbell-punk-bands that were impossible to escape at one point. A fair few people have told me after gigs that this is their favourite song and I think “of course it is, I wrote it for YOU”.
The band's drummer & "Shotgun" video director Zander Hearn added: "Set in the depths of purgatory, the video is a peak into the surreal world surrounding the release. Matching the upbeat energy of the track, we tried to keep the performances fun, whilst the moody interiors and mysterious characters allude to the darker backstory behind it."
With collective influences ranging from Big Star, Suede and Sparks to Japanese Breakfast, The Replacements, Manic Street Preachers and David Bowie, Flat Party's music and overriding ethos historically has been rooted in escapism, yet their vision for the future of the project is more ambitious and sprawling than ever before, as Lawther explains...
"In comparison to the subtle optimism of our debut EP, "Shotgun" and the new songs we've been working on are dark, hedonistic and dramatic.. There’s always been that side of the band present, so it felt right to represent it properly. Sonically, it’s all a lot more intense than the first EP too and we’ve really made the most of our musical arsenal when it comes to the arrangements."
With notable hat tips already from reputable outlets including NME, CLASH Magazine, DIY Magazine, Dork Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, HERO Magazine, Rough Trade and more, alongside brilliant radio support at BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq, Amy Lamé) and Radio X (John Kennedy), Flat Party are only just getting things started.
Flat Party's new single "Shotgun" is out now on Submarine Cat Records. The band celebrate the single release at the Windmill Brixton, London this Friday, 26th July.
Flat Party is: Jack Lawther (vocals), Rory O’Rourke (guitar) Nic Morris (bass), Dylan Tarayan-Bibbs (guitar), Zander Hearn (drums), and Tom Hunt (keys).
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