Blanketman announce debut EP and share new track
EP release: 19 March
Label: [PIAS]
More info: Blanketman’s Facebook page
Blanketman today announce that their debut EP National Trust will be released on March 19th via [PIAS]. They are also sharing brand-new track “Harold”. National Trust is produced by Produced by Luke Smith (Foals, LIFE).
Lead guitarist Daniel Hand says of the single: "Harold is an ode to that crippling fright in the night. To things that don’t go bump, but go “aaaargh”. The song spasmed into existence after a series of unsavoury night terrors that prompted to me don my guitar, tune the strings to a level of arse-clenching tension, screw my eyes shut tight and, like a deranged jet-setter randomly spinning a tiny globe in search of the next destination, I slammed a capo onto the neck in a state of near frenzy. I tentatively opened an eye. Fourth fret. I picked up a pen as ideas began to fizz, but thought better of it, had a beer and wrote it later."
Hear "Harold" on streaming services here.
Pre-order National Trust EP here.
Hear "Harold" on YouTube below.
With just two singles under their belts, the Manchester band have already found support from the likes of Clash, DIY, Dork, The Forty-Five, The Line of Best Fit, NME and So Young, along with a Next Hype slot from Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, New Names feature from Annie Mac, a Ones To Watch pick from Huw Stephens, BBC 6 Music support from Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson and Marc Riley, plays from Matt Wilkinson on Beats 1, as well as playlist spots at NME Radio and Amazing Radio.
Back in March, the band’s debut single “Taking You With Me” marked the arrival of a band full of ideas, and cut a boundless, energetically pop edge that saw them likened to early Blur. Follow-up “Beach Body” dialed up the urgency and distilled a swift insistence, on top of which vocalist Adam Hopper masterminded a trove of indelible melodies, dedicated to the ailing Brit-abroad. Today’s new track “Harold” brings with it a thumping, wonky and rowdy execution to introduce an EP that celebrates the north of England with the north-south divide as a backdrop. National Trust looks at themes of feeling trapped and anxious, but also the hopes held toward eventual liberation from that feeling.
Recent years have seen the band spearheading a burgeoning scene in Manchester as they gigged extensively throughout the city, performing their original brand of restless post-punk and cerebral indie-pop – all served with a sharper, more sardonic pop edge than many of their more po-faced peers. So sharp in fact that Steve Hanley, of The Fall and Brix Smith & Extricated, has performed live on stage with them a number of times already.
