SCATTERED ASHES

“The stark intensity of Interpol or Joy Division, via the renegade ferocity of bauhaus or gang of youths” - Hot Press
“Gonna be your favourite new band very soon, you’re about to be obsessed with them” - Beta Da Silva, RTÉ 2FM
“Channels the dark, moody vibes of Depeche Mode, Portishead, and Echo and the Bunnymen” - Post-Punk.com
“Scattered Ashes are a band full of fire, an amazing piece of music” - Stephen Mccauley, BBC Radio Ulster
“A mustily almost latter-day gothic piece of weary and agitated pop music” - Steve Lamacq, BBC 6music
“Scattered Ashes lean into their love of the rockier end of Depeche Mode’s catalogue” - Golden Plec
“Dark and moody with riffs which are haunting and doom laden” - God Is In The TV Zine
“Feels like a pivotal moment…their most significant release yet” - The GOO Dublin
“10 exciting new Irish artists you should be listening to in 2024” - LOUDER
“Solemn and melodic with a deep reverence for the truth” - GIGWISE
“Wonderful new Irish sounds” - The Thin Air [Tracks of The Week]
“Barbed, dynamic, and potent” - CLASH

Dublin/London post-punk quartet Scattered Ashes are delighted to release their debut EP, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, today on all good digital service providers, with a vinyl pressing from Galway, Ireland independent label Blowtorch Records also available to purchase HERE.

To celebrate, the band are streaming focus track ‘They Can’t Divide Us’, a thesis statement for the EP in many ways—an exploration of fear, hate, and misinformation in the current global landscape and the threat it poses, recorded during the chaos of the 2023 Dublin Riots, with the studio being located in the midst of the storm.

A brooding number with stark intensity, the song is marked by the apocalyptic vocals of singer Robert Dalton as he creates a dystopic vision of the present—“Here we are, wall to wall again, dark times now we face the bitter end, but can we pretend, the lies, the cries, the nation’s fall, it’s all been planned so beautiful”—and illustrates the ultimate end result: “They operate through a police state, and they keep you blind ‘til you know your fate, ‘cause you are..”

Musically, the track showcases an increasing descent into despair as the ferocity of the relentless tribal drumming matches the pleading desperation of the vocals, before finally climaxing in a barrage of distorted synth and dissonant guitar solos: “The blind leading our backs against the wall, they can’t kill us all, we pour gasoline, to believe we’re free when we’re on our knees, to go against them all.”

Recorded at Darklands Audio, Dublin in 2023, produced by Daniel Doherty (Fontaines D.C., Meryl Streek) and mastered by Pete Maher (Echo & The Bunnymen, Liam Gallagher), the EP’s title is taken from a Karl Marx quote: ‘All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind.’

All That is Solid Melts Into Air encompasses the constant state of flux we find ourselves in as members of modern society due to technology, consumerism, and the fickle nature of human beings. Across the EP the band reflect on the more destructive outcomes of these aspects such as racism, drug addiction, apathy, and greed.

The EP also ruminates on the more positive aspects of the shared human experience such as intimacy, growth and self-redemption. “There was a lot of serendipity on this record and at times it felt like we were expelling a lot of demons,” says frontman Rob Dalton. “This record was special, the words and the music just flew out, it felt different.”

Standout singles ‘Kingdom’ and ‘Ether’ were released earlier this year picking up support from Hot Press, The Thin Air, LOUDER, Post-Punk.com, God Is In The TV Zine, Golden Plec, Unclear Magazine, The GOO Dublin and more, with the tracks receiving multiple spins on Radio X, Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing, RTÉ 2FM and more.

Following recent support slots with Benefits and Selofan, the band have a select handful of UK and Irish live dates on sale now, with full listings available below and further live dates TBA.

More info:

Recently relocated from Dublin to London, Scattered Ashes are an abrasive and angular Irish postpunk four-piece defined by urgent guitars and prophetic vocals, occupying a noticeably darker lane than many of their contemporaries. After forming in early 2020, the band received immediate support and airplay from Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6) and KEXP upon the release of debut single 'Love Is Not An Option’.

The Parallel Lines EP followed on blood red vinyl, which sold out in its first week in Rough Trade stores throughout the UK. 2022 opened up with the band listed as one of the Hot Press ‘Hot for 2022’ and saw the release of ‘Feral’ to much critical acclaim landing on major Spotify official playlists such as All New Punk, The Punk List and All New Rock, with the band since picking up wider support at radio from BBC 6music, Radio X, SiriusXM, Today FM, BBC Radio Ulster, Amazing Radio, RTE2FM, RT2XFM and more.

In 2023 they played some of their biggest shows to date across the UK and EU supporting the likes of She Past Away, The Chameleons, She Wants Revenge and Clan Of Xymox, as well as making appearances at Ireland's Beyond The Pale and Electric Picnic Festival. 

Standalone singles ‘Battles’, ‘Homeowners’ (recorded with Gilla Band’s own Daniel Fox at Sonic Studios Dublin), and ‘Take Another Piece’ followed throughout the year, with the band now gearing up for the release of their first full body of work in 2024.

Scattered Ashes are:

Robert Dalton (Vocals/Guitar)
Tom Dalton (Backing Vocals/Bass)
Ben Downes (Guitar)
Cillian Sheil (Drums)