Rounding off a triumphant 2022, East London desert rockers The Howlers are today sharing a glimpse of new music with their ‘Live From Metropolis’ EP, produced by Harpaal Sanghara (Stormzy, U2, Foo Fighters).
Featuring previous singles ‘Nothing To Lose’ and ‘Further Down The Line’, taken from their recently released second EP, the London-based trio are also debuting new material with ‘When The Flowers Bloom Again’ and ‘Once Again (Matador Reprise)’ on the body of work out today.
Speaking about the release, vocalist and guitarist Adam Young says, “As a band we have always taken pride in our live shows and it’s something we have wanted to capture for a while but Metropolis Studios pulled it all together. After we mastered our last EP in the studio the team we work with saw the potential for a live recording and extended the invitation to us. The invite was an honour in itself but also a daunting challenge to meet expectations. Rather than playing it safe we thought we would throw in two new songs, or at least the version of those tracks at the time.”
He continues, “Due to other commitments, and also Foo Fighters starting the Taylor Hawkins tribute rehearsals in the studio, we had to record it overnight, finishing at 3am. In all that craziness we are pretty proud of how this record has turned out capturing the raw energy of our live performances.”
Earlier in the year the trio released their most accomplished work to date, their second EP ‘Further Down The Line’. A collection of four tracks which evidence a leap in maturity sonically, whilst still staying true to the trademark Howlers musicality, it was produced by Chris Ostler and Tommy Taylor from Black Honey and mastered by Felix Davis (Lana Del Rey, Easy Life, Public Access TV) at Metropolis Studios.
The Howlers burst back onto the scene over summer with ‘Nothing To Lose’. Inspired by soul and Motown, the track is a melting pot of warm and nostalgic sounds blended with fiery and fresh tones, and it was ultimately vocalist Adam Young’s foray into the back catalogue of tambourine player Norman Whitfield which led to the creation of the single first and foremost.
Visually boasting single and EP artwork by Brian Cannon (Oasis, The Verve), the images captured at a Soul All Nighter in Wigan, 2012, lend themselves perfectly to the sound and themes The Howlers are conveying with this new project.
The Howlers have quickly established themselves as an unstoppable force in the live arena. Critical acclaim has rolled in for the band from the likes whilst their music has also been heard on television programmes and platforms such as Welcome To Wrexham (featuring Ryan Reynolds), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Amazon Prime and SoccerAM.
Showing off the EP around the country before its release, the band recently completed a UK headline tour which culminated at Hoxton’s dazzling Colours on 7th October. In the new year the band will continue their live crusade by joining The Family Rain on their UK tour – details here.
