Sweet Sour by Band of Skulls

Southampton’s Band Of Skulls have just posted the second track from their forthcoming sophomore disc Sweet Sour (out Feb. 21st on Vagrant Records). and the band is kicking off a US tour in March next year with shows at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Sessions for Sweet Sour started in January of this year when the trio returned to the cradle of their first album, their home studio in Southampton. The creative juices soon started flowing, and the three songwriters – Marsden, Hayward and Richardson – were collaborating more fully than ever before. Scraps of melodies, lyrics and riffs fell into place, and complete songs began to emerge: the slow-burning album opener "Sweet Sour", rockers "Lies" and "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own". The results were designed for bigger crowds. “We wanted to write material that’s primed for where we’d got to,” says guitarist/vocalist Russell Marsden. “Beefier songs for bigger stages.”

By the time they reached Rockfield, the legendary residential studio in Wales, the band were primed to road-test the new material, playing a handful of US dates in a break from the album sessions. The response was electrifying: at the Beachside Festival in San Diego, one over-zealous fan rocked out so hard during new track, "You’re Not Pretty But You’ve Got It Going On" he was tasered by the police. “I guess he was having too much of a good time,” shrugs bassist Emma Richardson. “It felt like a real moment”. Later, a performance at the Bonnaroo festival went on to shape the album’s character. “The new songs went down so well there we decided to incorporate some of the mistakes and mishaps into the studio versions,” says Marsden. “We had Ian [Davenport, returning Baby Darling... producer] jumping on top of our Fender amps to recreate one bit where the reverb was crackling and making weird noises. All the gear still had the dust and mud on it from the festival, so the dirt was there – a bit of filth from the road that made it onto the record.”

Band of Skulls had previously released the track "The Devil Takes Care of His Own" (from the forthcoming album) and have now followed this up with a video for the song.



Band of Skulls' show at Webster Hall is on March 22nd and tickets are $20. The band's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg is on March 27th and tickets are also $20.

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Band of Skulls