Xtra Mile Recordings signs PET NEEDS // Debut album 'Fractured Party Music' out 12 March 2021 // Preorder on transparent blue vinyl, CD and download

Xtra Mile Recordings are pleased to present…PET NEEDS.

Formed in Colchester by brothers Johnny and George Marriott, the pair has signed with the Xtra Mile to unleash the feral thrills of their debut album, ‘Fractured Party Music’, set for release on 12 March 2021.

Preorder on transparent blue vinyl, CD and download.

Mixed and mastered by friend and fan Frank Turner, the four-piece can reveal the first single to be lifted from the record, ‘Pavlovian’. Watch the video below.

Four minutes of piledriving punk-rock that recalls the Sex Pistols through to Enter Shikari, ‘Pavlovian’ demonstrates the band’s barbed wit and razored riffs at their sharpest. A track that in its nature demands your response, it paves the way on a trail of destruction that leads all the way to ‘Fractured Party Music’.

PET NEEDS were born when guitarist George landed on his brother Johnny’s sofa in Colchester after abandoning a job in a Midlands petrol station for the dazzling lights of north Essex. They didn’t have a plan. But they had guitars. Composing a clutch of anti-anthems inspired by the disastrous job interviews, self-destruction and river journeys on inflatable kayaks that had defined their lives so far, their idiosyncratic lyrics and effusive energy soon began to attract all the right attention. Bringing Jack (drums) and Rich (bass) on board to complete the line up, Pet Needs quickly rose through the live ranks to smash sets all across the UK and beyond. Sharing stages and festival bills with the likes of Muncie Girls, Buzzcocks, Maximo Park, PiL and The Undertones, it was their explosive live performance at Camden Rocks that would see them win-over Frank Turner, who would go on to mix and master their upcoming album, .

Like all other bands, Pet Needs were forced off the road in 2020, but took it as a sign to complete their long awaited debut ‘Fractured Party Music’. Coruscating the modern malaise with sneers at pretense, musing on artistic ambition versus commercial success, and tales of creativity and failure, ‘Fractured Party Music’ will be a topical blitz upon apathy. Calling on Frank Turner to harness the collision of frenetic energy they have stored up in months bereft of live shows, expect a seismic studio record of screeching feedback and cynic-baiting lyrics capable of blowing away even the heaviest lockdown hangover.

www.petneedsband.com

Crazy Arm release first album in seven years 'Dark Hands, Thunderbolts' on 29 January 2021 // Limited edition black or white vinyl on 19 March 2021 // Listen to new single 'Brave Starts Here' now

Seven years since their last official release, Crazy Arm will release fourth studio album Dark Hands, Thunderbolts on 29 January 2021 on CD and download, with a limited edition black or white vinyl release on 19 March 2021. Preorder the new album here.

A shot out of the blue, the Devon punk-roots trail-blazers release an incendiary new single ‘Brave Starts Here’ out now. Listen to it on various streaming platforms here. Watch the video below.

Rigorously road-tested during the interim years between third album ‘The Southern Wild’ and now, 'Brave Starts Here' is a breathless ode to heartbreak, loneliness, ageing and self-determination, occupying that sweet spot between bluegrass and punk rock. It's also a tribute to their good friends and labelmates, Larry & His Flask.

An emphatic lead single and a statement loud-and-clear that they’re back in business, ‘Brave Starts Here’ triggers the countdown to a fourth studio album on Xtra Mile Recordings, ‘Dark Hands, Thunderbolts’. It’s a record that promises a return to the rowdy guitars, epic choruses and Americana twang of their first two albums and will find the band in a reflective, but no less indignant mood. Despite spending only three weeks in the studio, it took the band four years to complete. To cut a long story short, life got in the way.

Explaining their long absence, frontman Darren Johns writes:

“Our last record, 'The Southern Wild', was released in 2013. A year later we almost called it a day but Jon (Dailey - guitar) said we should record one more album. Behold! We demoed these songs in the summer of 2016 with our good friend, Tim Langsford, on drums, and started recording properly that winter with Tim and regular live drummer, Matt Colwell, on board. We finished recording in the summer of 2020, although we only spent three weeks actually working on the album. Suffice to say, this has been a very protracted affair.

“Over the four years, the songs effectively grew up, hit puberty, left home and came back with crow's feet and new pronouns. In the meantime, Jon got married, had a baby, and became a professional tattooist; Matt upped sticks again and settled in sunny Bournemouth; Luke (Yates - fiddle) got married and moved to Leeds; our good friend, Dan James, became our new bassist; Samantha Spake joined as second violinist; the ace Tia Kalmaru and Becky Saxton started singing with us; I fulfilled my dream of touring the USA, started playing solo as Warshy (as in, shy of war), and bid a final farewell to my mum and cat; and the world got disproportionately more unstable.

We may be 15 years old now (and more of a fluid collective than a band), and the twin troughs of COVID and Brexit may have scuppered all our best laid tour plans, but we're not done yet! We hope 'Dark Hands, Thunderbolts' makes this current colossal shitshow a little easier to bear. Here's to the unwritten future.”

Dark Hands, Thunderbolts will feature the heaviest, the lightest and the most expansive songs that Crazy Arm have recorded, with a strong cinematic influence at play. 'Montenegro', 'Blessed & Cursed', 'Fear Up' and 'Howl Of The Heart' all betray the band's oft-mentioned fondness for Ennio Morricone, Murder By Death and Constantines, while the two mournful interludes, 'Dearborn' and 'Paradiso' are soundtrack scores-in-waiting, featuring Samantha Spake and Simon Dobson on violin and trumpet, respectively. Of course, the band's stock-in-trade – breathless punk rock riffola, Appalachian harmonies, syncopated rhythms, anthemic singalongs – are still very present, correct and unrelenting.

Despite the long gestation period, the album sees Crazy Arm touch upon a varied and timely array of subject matter. 'And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Meds' and 'Demonised' lay existential despair bare via caffeinated post-hardcore, 'Loose Lips' wades through Southern sludge with a salute to refugees, 'The Golden Hind' violently skewers the band's Brexit-majority hometown, 'Mow The Sward' turns alienation into a heartland rock anthem, 'Epicurean Firestorm' remoulds Arcade Fire in a cauldron of guitars and body dysmorphia, and 'Health Is In You!' is a pro-feminist clarion call that sounds like ZZ Top mentoring Hot Snakes.

Guaranteed to be worth the wait, ‘Dark Hands, Thunderbolts’ is a sonic and emotional rollercoaster ride that upends expectations at every turn. So, take a seat and hold on tight, it all begins with ‘Brave Starts Here’...

Album tracklisting

1 Montenegro
2 Blessed & Cursed
3 Brave Starts Here
4 Fear Up
5 interlude: Dearborn
6 The Golden Hind
7 Loose Lips
8 Mow The Sward
9 Trail Of Meds
10 interlude: Paradiso
11 Epicurean Firestorm
12 Howl Of The Heart
13 Demonised
14 Health Is In You!

crazyarmband.com // crazyarm.bandcamp.com // facebook.com/thecrazyarm

BERRIES sign to Xtra Mile Recordings // New single 'Copy' out 22 January 2021

Xtra Mile Recordings is very pleased to announce the signing of BERRIES and the forthcoming release of captivating new single 'Copy' on 22 January 2021.

A three piece with a penchant for effortlessly combining off-kilter melodies with guttural grunge, London trio BERRIES have been turning heads up and down the country for a number of years. Their vast array of singles have earned the band crucial support from the likes of Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and John Kennedy, as well as online championing from Louder Than War and Fred Perry.

It’s not just offstage that the band have impressed, however. Working regularly with national promoters DHP, recent notable shows include Cherry Glazerr and Porridge Radio at Electric Brixton, Ex Hex at Village Underground, and supporting Frank Turner at a socially distanced acoustic show in Nottingham.

Perhaps most notable, the latter show came about after label founder Charlie Caplowe showed Frank some of the band’s recordings. Obviously impressing Frank enough for him to offer a support slot, a slot which in turn impressed the label so much that they offered the trio a record deal off the back it. “Everyone at Xtra Mile is incredibly excited about our new signing BERRIES,” says Caplowe. “They feel like a perfect fit for the label and we can’t wait to get new music out there ahead of a debut album in 2021.”

"We are completely over the moon to be joining the amazing Xtra Mile Recordings roster!” say BERRIES. “We have been following Xtra Mile and their bands since we started BERRIES and are huge admirers of their ethos and the way they run the label. It means so much to us to have them excited about our band and to have an incredible team to work with. We want to thank everyone as always for all of your continuous support, we can't wait to get some new music out to you.”

Said new music is ‘Copy’. Four minutes of snaking guitar licks, frenetic percussion and an ever-present undercurrent of fuzz-heavy melody, it’s quintessential BERRIES while feeling like the band taking the next confident steps forward in their career.

BERRIES are:

Holly - Guitar/Vocals
Lauren - Bass
Lucie - Drums

Listen to the band’s back catalogue so far on Spotify.

berriesband.co.uk / facebook.com/BerriesBand / Twitter: @berriesbanduk / Instagram: @berriesband / YouTube.com/berriesband

Reuben release double vinyl set 'Racecar is Very Fast' on 11 December 2020 // Preorder now // Reuben's first two albums in one deluxe vinyl package

Reuben and Xtra Mile Recordings are teaming-up for ‘Racecar Is Very Fast’, a deluxe double vinyl package featuring Reuben’s first two albums together as one set for the first time with exclusive new artwork designed by Jamie Lenman. The set will be released on 11 December 2020. Preorder now.

Reuben are returning to where it all began. In collaboration with Xtra Mile, ‘Racecar Is Racecar Backwards’ and ‘Very Fast, Very Dangerous’ are being presented together as a celebration of the band’s two finest hours.

Bursting onto the scene in 2004 with ‘Racecar is Racecar Backwards’, the trio of Jamie Lenman, Jon Pearce and Guy Davis, turned heads with a debut that was every bit as high octane as its title would suggest. Produced by Jason Wilson at Stakeout Studios, the record saw the band thrash-out their frenetic, scattergun sound; drawing on eclectic influences from nu-metal to math rock, grunge to emo. Forging 16 tracks with a perfectly-placed pop/rock nous at their heart, ‘Racecar is Racecar Backwards’ immediately earmarked Reuben as an essential new band and one unafraid to break the rules. Shedding monstrous singles including ‘Freddy Kreuger’, ‘Stuck In My Throat’ and ‘Moving To Blackwater’, the band blindsided the Official Singles Chart and mainstream media like BBC Radio 1 and MTV2/M2, and even earned a nomination for “Best British Newcomer” at the Kerrang! Awards.

Wasting little time, the band launched headlong into its exhilarating follow-up, 2005’s ‘Very Fast, Very Dangerous’. Catapulting straight into the top 5 of the UK Rock Charts, singles like ‘Blamethrower’, ‘Keep It To Yourself’ and ‘A Kick In The Mouth’ accelerated the band from gutsy underdogs to people’s alt/rock champions.

Releasing just one more record together after ‘Very Fast’, in their short breakneck journey as a band, Reuben cemented an enduring cult status in their devoted fans while inspiring a new generation of alt-rock acolytes for years to come. The trio called an indefinite hiatus in 2008.

Reflecting on those first two records and that crucial time for Reuben, frontman Jamie Lenman says: “Those two records are very different but they came out a year after each other and they're the two we did with Xtra Mile so I think they belong together, and they belong to Xtra Mile. We spent years making 'Racecar' so that's why it's so varied and maybe a bit too long - we were very precious about our songs and we wanted them all on the thing. By the time we did 'Very Fast' we'd grown up a lot in a short space of time - we had a vague idea that an album should be more of a concept, which is why it's a bit more 'rock and roll' with the truck and everything. The second one was a reaction to the first one, we wanted to get away from long, complex songs. And then we went and put our longest song on it!”

With both vinyl pressings of the albums long out-of-press, the ‘Racecar Is Very Fast’ set promises to be a prized addition to any Reuben fan’s collection. Stamped with the band’s full seal of approval, the set includes exclusive new artwork direct from the hand of the band’s own Jamie Lenman, plus a new reflective essay from journalist and supporter James Hickie. Lenman says of the new release: “People kept asking me where they could buy the first two records on vinyl, and I didn't even realise they were sold out, so I asked Xtra Mile about doing a repress. I thought it would be cool to put together a two-pack, like you used to get in record stores when I was a kid, where you'd get two albums by the same band bundled together. I did some snazzy new artwork especially for the front cover and commissioned a short critical essay for the back. If you missed out on the original pressings then here they are! And if you're a real collector you might buy it just for the new artwork. I know I would!”

In celebration of the release, the band will be inviting fans to join them online for a Twitter listening party, enjoying both albums back to back and sharing memories of that seminal era. Join in with the hashtag #RCIVF.

https://www.wordsfromreuben.com/

Johnny Lloyd releases new single 'Suze' // Taken from second album 'Cheap Medication' out 30 October 2020

Johnny Lloyd has released a new single, ‘Suze’, taken from forthcoming second album ‘Cheap Medication’, out 30 October via Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder on vinyl, CD or download here. Listen to the track below or via various streaming outlets here.

An island of tranquility amidst these turbulent times, the opening track of ‘Cheap Medication’ is a calming and gently nostalgic listen to balm the soul. Drifting on a bed of calypso rhythms, lilting slide guitars, fluttering birdsong and even a panpipe solo, the track finds Johnny with his head in the clouds and discovering heavenly new platitudes as a songwriter.

Opening up about the new single Johnny says: “‘Suze’ is a strange tale of crossed wires and infidelities. A passing portrait of an imagined event I went along with while I was writing the song. It ended up taking me somewhere I hadn’t been before musically.”

Following first single ‘Real Thing’ (a recent ‘Lamacq Livener’ on BBC 6 Music), the track is the second and final single to be cut from Johnny’s second solo album ahead of its release on 30 October. His new album, ‘Cheap Medication’, is the latest installment of what Johnny hopes will become an annual series of releases from here on.

The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Next Episode Starts In 15 Seconds’, the record continues a prolific spell of activity for the Camden songwriter over the last 2 years. Alongside his solo debut, Johnny has also released two compilations of outtakes and rarities (Low Fidelity Vol. 1 & 2); scored the entire soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Sky Atlantic series ‘I Hate Suzie’ (in collaboration with his partner Billie Piper and playwright Lucy Prebble); and even found the time to reform indie-rock titans, Tribes. ‘Cheap Medication’ was made once again with producer Nathan Coen, and recorded between his base in London, Johnny’s home in Dorset, and the legendary Abbey Road Studios. It features guest appearances from familiar faces including: Kapil Trivedi of Mystery Jets, Pete Denton of The Kooks and Tom Odell’s backing band; plus an introduction to rising San Diego star Shelbi Bennet on its soaring title-track. Euphoric and universal, uplifting and even at times spiritual, ‘Cheap Medication’ is a record that finds an artist comfortable in his own skin and daring to take chances; the therapy of a life in songwriting yielding its most confident results yet. “I don’t think I’ve been happier with a collection of songs for a long time. I feel really good about this and think there really is something on there for everyone.”

Frank Turner and Jon Snodgrass release 'Buddies II: Still Buddies' on 13 November // Preorder now // Watch video for 'Bad Times, Good Vibes'

CD artwork for Buddies II: Still Buddies

Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass are pleased to present ‘Buddies II: Still Buddies’, to be released through Xtra Mile Recordings on 13 November. Preorder the album on vinyl, CD and digital download here.

Ten years ago, the two acclaimed musicians hung out, drank whisky, wrote and recorded an album together called ‘Buddies’ – a lighthearted hang between friends that became a hit with fans of both artists. Fast forward a decade and the pair are still buddies, so they decided to write a follow-up.

As with the original, ‘Buddies II: Still Buddies’ was written in just one day, although this time Turner and Snodgrass had to do it over the Internet due to lockdown. With more time on their hands than usual, they were able to flesh out the album, musically, and recruit other buddies – Stephen Egerton (Descendents/ALL) on drums and Todd Beene (Lucero, Chuck Ragan, Glossary) on pedal steel. The result is a funny, warm and at times poignant album that’s part talk show, part music.

Vinyl artwork for Buddies II: Still Buddies

Touching upon themes such as Jon having children, their travels across the US, name-checking other songwriter buddies (like they did on the original album) and more, the album is a charming and playful reflection on a friendship ten years on. From the punk-turned-country of the album’s lead single, ‘Bad Times Good Vibes’, to referencing George Carlin’s infamous ‘Saving The Planet’ on ‘The Fleas’ the camaraderie is there for all to hear. ‘Buddies II: Still Buddies’ also stands as the first album Turner has recorded, mixed and mastered entirely on his own.

Rolling Stone has premiered the music video for ‘Bad Times Good Vibes’, which you can now watch below.

Turner had the following to share about the project and how it came about this year: “Lockdown has been such a blow to the music industry, and such a drag, that we were all looking for things to do. Jon and I have been buddies a long time, and I noticed the ten-year anniversary of our collaborative album was coming up. Technology is such that we were able to reprise the writing method remotely, and indeed it turns out we've got a lot better at it in the intervening decade. I'm really, really proud of the record.”

And Snodgrass adds: “Buddies II was somehow even more fun to make. It even sounds better too! Frank mixed it and we enlisted Todd Beene and Stephen Egerton. So yeah, two more buddies (so) it’s twice as good, in my opinion. I can’t wait until 2030! It’s gonna be three times better and we’re gonna do it at sea!”

Frank Turner needs no introduction for Xtra Mile Recordings fans. Jon Snodgrass is a well-respected figure of the US punk and Americana scene and is a member of Armchair Martian, Drag The River and Scorpios as well as a solo artist. Snodgrass has collaborated with Chad Rex, Hagfish, Descendents, Stephen Egerton, Joey Cape, Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, Cory Branan, Chuck Ragan (Revival Tour and Hot Water Music), Tim McIlirath (Rise Against), Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music and Ship Thieves), Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake), Scott Reynolds (ALL), Mike Herrera (MxPx), Arliss Nancy, and Jimmy Islip. Snodgrass will release his new album, Tace, on A-F Records on 9 October.

Buddies II: Still Buddies tracklisting

1. Still Buddies
2. Retractions
3. S-Bar
4. Stephen Plays The Drums
5. MacBeth
6. Bad Times Good Vibes
7. The Age Of A Dog
8. The Fleas
9. Hold Me Homie
10. The Earth Is Flat

Instagram: @FrankTurner // Facebook: facebook.com/frankturnermusic // Twitter: @frankturner YouTube: /frankturner

Instagram: @jonsnodgrass // Facebook: facebook.com/jon.snodgrass // Twitter: @jon_snodgrass