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Photo - Luca Bailey |
With the release of 'Spain', Home Counties return today not with a continuation, but a clear-eyed creative pivot. Produced by Al Doyle (of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem), the London six-piece's new single takes aim at the creeping fear of becoming everything you once stood against, a disillusioned version of yourself hiding under the Spanish sun. 'Spain' premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC 6 Music show last night. The band also today announce a full UK headline tour for November and December, culminating in their biggest headline show to date at Scala, London.
The first music to be heard since the band's acclaimed 2024 debut album 'Exactly As It Seems', new single 'Spain' was written about confronting your own moral decay through the metaphor of a British expat. Built around glowering synths and a darker, more expansive palette, the song captures a volatile internal dialogue between two versions of the same person – one idealistic, the other world-weary. It's a portrait of internal erosion, delivered with a deadpan intensity and a tightly coiled rhythmic pulse that leaves little room for resolution.
Reflecting on the compromises and contradictions of adult life with dry wit and dancefloor-ready conviction, it marks a confident leap forward in sound, tone and ambition for Home Counties. While their debut 'Exactly As It Seems' traded in bright edges and eccentricity, 'Spain' dives into something leaner, colder and more thematically complex.
"‘Spain’ is essentially an argument with yourself,” explains frontman Will Harrison. “It's about growing older and fearing the person you might become, or are already becoming. Taking the form of a conversation between a starry-eyed idealist and life-weathered realist, it imagines watching an argument between a younger and older version of yourself. It’s about figuring out if you can grow up without losing sight of your values or if it’s just a worthless endeavour."
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Leslie Jordan - The Agonist (Album).
Nearly a decade ago, when sent photocopies of her late, wayfaring grandfather’s poetry and short stories, singer-songwriter Leslie Jordan knew that the treasure trove would eventually make its way into her musical story. He wrote short stanzas of evocative poetry, short stories of provocative men and women, and long journal entries about his love affair with alcohol and his brother's wife, Sylvia. With pages of typewritten entries, Jordan pieced together the story and set it to song with her beautifully melancholy Americana and roots sensibilities. This month she released the stunning collection, dubbed The Agonist.
The story of how this record came to be, a granddaughter sifting through a found box of her estranged beat poet grandfather’s musings and turning it into this beautiful project, is worth the price of admission alone, but Leslie Jordan, per usual, pours out her entire heart, soul, and tear-inducing voice with effortless emotional intensity and mystery...You’d do yourself well to listen to the whole experience top to bottom and enjoy what’s been one of my favorite voices in Americana music... If you’re not part of the club already, take this record for a spin and see what all the fuss is about. - Sean McConnell.
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BCMR - Beehive Candy Music Radio - Update.
Two things - Firstly we have been thrilled with the number of unique listeners whilst we are just setting this up - thank you!
Secondly, we have had to roll back our initial launch date for a variety of reasons, however we hope to considerably expand the playlist in the coming weeks and fix a number of technical issues (sound levels etc). More information will come, but again thanks to everyone who has listened and shown an interest.
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