Heat vs Light debut album September 3rd
“Confident, morbid and utterly compelling”
The Ark, Preston
“A little like the first Doves record, it is therefore even
more of a surprise when they suddenly kick the whole
thing into a post-rock cacophony with skewed time
signatures, lacerating keyboard and industrial guitar.”
Manchestermusic.co.uk
“Their down tempo, dreamlike soundscapes provide an
excellent backdrop for interaction between melodic
guitar, keyboards and samples.”
Designer Magazine
“They’re welcome in my cellar any time!!”
Fred West
“All we want to be is blown away” Heat vs Light took this mantra into the making of their debut album, ‘Murderers’,never settling for anything less than stellar. Engineered by Miles Whittaker of cult experimental duo Demdike Stare,the album was recorded entirely live over the course of a week. The real triumph of ‘Murderers’ is that for all its ambi-tious scope and emotional reach, there is an earthy appeal that, while eschewing the obvious, imbues it with an energy which doesn’t diminish on repeated listening.
Their hometown of Burnley is a place where you’re only ever a few hundred yards away from either astounding natural beauty or bleak post-industrial disrepair. There are traces of the panoramic northern pathos of Elbow and The Chameleons to engage the heart, but they’ll often lead you into darker corners with angular post-rock and ingenious key changes.
Throughout this release, you’ll hear a band who know how to align penetrative melodies with diverting sonic ideas. It’s in the stunning anthem ‘Firewalk’, the way ‘The Air Tastes of Strange Things’ takes shoegaze fancy and turns it into something full of animation. Instrumental ‘I Love You Donna Ingham + I Miss You Both Loads’ (title taken from graffiti daubed on a bridge over the M65) blossoms from chiming prettiness, erupting into gloomy Jah Wobble skank. It’s followed up by the radiant ballad ‘We Miss Ourselves’, which seems to search for real sense in the accidental non-sequitur of its predecessor. Heart-rending trumpet provides ‘Rabbit’s tender coup de grâce, and ‘Like Stars’ journey from lighter-waving anthem into abrasive dissonance and back again is an exemplary finale.
On the prominent lyrical themes of ‘Murderers’, frontman JP Keenan remarks: “The album name is not supposed to conjure up images of the Yorkshire Ripper or Fred West, it’s really more about irrational fears, its an album about twisted love and paranoia but there’s always a thread of grace, or serenity if you like and a sense of triumph. This contrast seems to be in everything we do, even the band name. The cover image was one of my recurring dreams.”
‘Murderers’ is a powerful debut with songs that captivate and draw you into their world, whatever the setting.
The band are currently booking gigs in support of this release. The album will be available to download at all the usual digital outlets but the band are planning to do a pre-release campaign where fans get the album for free if they are willing to share it via facebook/twitter/email, etc.
Heat vs Light are:
Lee Rogerson - Bass,
Sean Roche - Guitar,
JP Keenan - Vocals/Guitar/Keys,
Steven Lockley - Drums,
Mo Lockley - Trumpet
‘Murderers’ video advert:
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