ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM EXIT STRATEGY
PRODUCED BY BERNARD BUTLER AND RECORDED AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
Galway-bred, London-based band The Clockworks return with their first single of 2023, taken from their long-awaited debut album, set for release on 10th November.
The new single Westway is out today and is the first taste of the band’s forthcoming debut album, EXIT STRATEGY, recorded with Grammy, BRIT & Mercury Prize winning producer Bernard Butler at Abbey Road Studios and Love Electric Studios.
Following a string of single releases with acclaim from the likes of Annie Mac, Iggy Pop, Steve Lamacq and Simon Le Bon, a US tour with Pixies and last year’s hugely successful UK & Europe headline tour, The Clockworks open their album campaign with the record’s final track, Westway.
Watch the accompanying video here.
Speaking on the track, and the decision to release the album’s final song first, singer James McGregor says “ We were inspired by the writing and production of ‘50s Doo-wop, Phil Spector and Motown. Westway is the album’s final track, so we are beginning the album’s story with the last scene in the same way that some of the great films, like Goodfellas, begin at the end.”
EXIT STRATEGY centres around a protagonist who moves from Galway to London in search of meaning, certain that as the main character in the film of his own life, the solution lies in changing his surroundings and acting as someone he’s not. The album promises encounters with manipulative bosses, evil ad agencies, a broken pact to flee to Australia, run-ins with the law, cheating boyfriends, drug fuelled youths, heartache, paranoia, social media anxiety and a drunk singer dressed as Jesus.
Explaining the album’s genesis and cinematic influence, James McGregor says: “We were always sure we wanted the album to be greater than the sum of its parts, so decided to create the world of a film, entitled Exit Strategy. We envisaged the record as a series of snapshots, telling the story of a group of characters trying to navigate through life.”
Hallmarked more by a philosophy than a sound, The Clockworks weave pop sensibilities with noisy, post-punk, rock-influenced stylings. The songs seem swaggering and dark yet often have an epic, nostalgic quality. They sit poetic introspection beside witty kitchen sink drama to create something intense but playful.
About The Clockworks
Formed in Galway and now living in London, The Clockworks are James McGregor (vocals/guitar), Sean Connelly (guitar), Damian Greaney (drums) and Tom Freeman (bass). Making a unanimous decision to find their break in the UK capital, it proved a good one. Relocating in 2019, the quartet were signed to singles-only label Creation23 almost overnight.
Described by NME as ‘shit hot’ and praised by CLASH for their ‘ferocious sense of purpose’, the bandrapidly gained ground with a string of impeccable singles including Feels So Real, Enough Is Never Enough, Can I Speak To A Manager?, Endgame and Advertise Me. Hotly tipped by The Guardian, The Independent and Hot Press, the band have received repeated support from national radio including BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Iggy Pop, alongside Simon Le Bon, Radio X’s John Kennedy, RTÉ 2FM and the legendary Rodney Bingenheimer on Sirius XM.
Delivering exhilarating live slots across Europe, The Clockworks have played at major festivals including Pukkelpop, Eurosonic, Electric Picnic and The Great Escape. The band have also played at Liverpool’s Sefton Park with Kings of Leon, appeared on Sky 1’s Soccer AM and completed a run of US dates with Pixies and UK support shows with The Reytons and Inhaler in 2022.
After an extensive tour of the UK at the end of 2022, the band decided to head into the studio to record their first long form offering. Released independently on their own Life and Times Recordings, Exit Strategy is a 13-track labour of love, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Love Electric, enlisting the production smarts of Bernard Butler. This debut album presents a multifaceted band, pushing themselves and exploring the limits of their philosophy.
For more information, please contact Murray Chalmers PR
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