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Beak> drop surprise album
Beak> have released a surprise album today, their first in six years.
The album, aptly titled >>>>, is the fourth from the Bristol trio formed in 2009 by Geoff Barrow.
It’s brooding, introspective sound encompasses – the band say – the “weirdness” of post-Covid days and the recording process which took place in a remote studio in Wales. The solitary getaway was part of Beak>’s attempt to reclaim some identity after over a decade of relentless touring and live shows.
is needed now More than ever
The record dropped without warning, promotion or singles in the run-up, so that it would be enjoyed in full by fans without preconceptions. So far, it has been warmly received.
First track Strawberry Line – a reference to the cycle path through Somerset connecting the Mendips to the sea – is an organ-led ballad where bass, drums and electronica collide, the track melting into a sludgy layer of doomy, discordant synth topped with otherworldly vocal harmonies.
The song is a tribute to Barrow’s beloved dog Alfie, who features on the album’s startling film-noir style cover as a monstrous presence above Clifton suspension bridge. Lasers beam from his eyes onto the band below.
Alfie sadly passed away a year after the album was recorded, Barrow – formerly of Portishead, and Beak>’s drummer and vocalist – told Bristol24/7. “He’s stood up there above the bridge like Godzilla,” said Barrow, remembering Alfie fondly. “He’s been around since the beginning of the band. We wanted to do something in his memory.”
Third track Windmill Hill references the band’s Bristol connection, as is their habit with album track titles, including Brean Down and Abbots Leigh on >>>. It’s a thumping, two-and-a-half minute fuzz-ball of a piece, with space-age squawks that reflect the alien warfare imagery of the album’s cover.
Barrow has been nursing a broken ankle which has left him unable to play drums. Despite this, the band have been in rehearsal preparing for a summer of shows, and he hopes to be gig-fit again in time for a festival appearance in Glasgow at the end of June.
Beak> have also announced a twenty-date European tour for the end of the year which culminates in a hometown show at SWX on December 14. Tickets go on sale on May 30.
Photos: Beak>
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