Ideal Living

“Tom Waits’ gritty energy but with a gobby British edge” Far Out Magazine

“Blending together the brooding Gothicism of Have A Nice Life and the steely vocals of Opus Kink…a gut-wrenching, desperate shot into the smoke-filled darkness.” So Young Magazine

“fierce and thought-provoking” DIY

“Doomy and gothic, manic and captivating, there really isn’t anything quite like it.” Backseat Mafia

“Love this tune” Deb Grant, (BBC Radio 6 Music)

Marking the announcement of the band’s debut EP - 4-track ‘indie opera’ This Big House (due 7th March) - Brighton Art-Rockers Ideal Living share the dark orchestral dramas of lead single ‘Come to Me’ - out today (21st) via boutique label Crafting Room Recordings (ELLiS·D).

A voyaging 4 minute journey through gothic waltzes and careening high-stakes art-rock, ‘Come To Me’ finds Ideal Living whole-heartedly embracing their penchant for dramatic musical storytelling.  Produced by Ben Hampson (Lambrini Girls, Ditz) at Agricultural studios, the track narrates an opening chapter in the EP’s wider narrative - to be expanded further with a short film and full-length novel. 

Sung from the viewpoint of a nameless narrator, ‘Come to Me’ tells of how their struggles to deal with modern life are tempered when they find that special other who helps them make sense of the human experience,  as frontman and band founder Billy Marsh explains:

“Come to Me’ opens our story, and introduces the plot’s two nameless characters. Quoting the novel’s narrator, the track serves as a dramatic monologue, marking the moment where our protagonist has found that special someone who helps them understand the world,  who they can come too whether happy or sad, after going too long through life suffering from its chaos”

More about Ideal Living and This Big House EP

Defined by their high-stakes rock ensemble of woodwind, strings and brass - and drawing inspirations from sources as varied as Nick Cave, Classic FM, and John Williams cult 60s novel Stoner, Ideal Living are evidently not one to shy away from ambitious concepts.

“I view Ideal Living as a big orchestra”, says frontman and band founder Billy Marsh, “Like when there’s a play on stage and the band is right there in the pit, bringing the story to life through sound. We’ve always tried to approach the music as something quite theatrical and big, always willing to jump between genres and styles. So it made sense to write something that’s a complete story, an indie-opera, if you will….

True to his word, Ideal Living’s upcoming debut EP This Big House - released on boutique label Crafting Room Recordings on 7th March - will be accompanied by the release of a short film, and the publication of frontman Billy Marsh’s debut novel of the same name, from where the EP pools its narrative.

Since forming in Brighton in 2022, and operating with an ever-shifting line-up of musicians from across the city’s current wave of emergent alternative acts - among them Flip Top Head, SoftTop, Jamie Broughton and Freddie J Watts - Ideal Living’s drama-infused performances have ushered in tours of the UK and Ireland with Flip Top Head and Lifts and support slots for Egyptian Blue, Borough Council, The New Eves and Opus Kink.

Spotlighted by Lambrini Girls last month in their NME playlist showcasing the “Best of Brighton”, and performing at the city’s most recent Mutations Festival, Ideal living can also boast a string of radio plays on BBC Radio 6 Music (Huw Stephens, New Music Fix) as well as press support from key independent music champions So Young, DIY, Clunk, Far Out, Rough Trade, Still Listening, Blogotheque, Backseat Mafia and Dansende Beren (BE).