As they prepare for the release of Memorial Waterslides and their upcoming UK tour, MEMORIALS release new single ‘Book Stall’ taken from their debut album set for release on 4th October on Fire Records.
Built around a syncopated drum groove and some tape-machined saxophone, new single ‘Book Stall’ “was one of the first written for the album and came together quickly. The words are inspired by collectors and their collections, what becomes of them, what meaning remains, the adventure of books and not knowing the answer!”
Following their acclaimed 2023 soundtracks Women Against The Bomb and Tramps!, a European tour with Stereolab (they’ve been called “Stereolab’s evil twin”) and a new music commission from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Verity and Matthew arrived at MEMORIALS in reverse, escaping their soundtracking day jobs to create cosmic journeys through the garden shed into psychedelic rock, far-out folk and wild analogue electronics.
Produced entirely by the two in their own studio (garden shed!), the sound of the record was inspired by the reel-to-reel tape experiments they first played around with onstage as they began to develop their multi-layered recordings for live performances as a duo. As multi-instrumentalists they have become masters at channelling their sound for live shows, juggling instruments in a set-up resembling that of a 5-piece band.
The record is infectiously melodic and allows for endless directions of travel. Punctuated by surprising noises, unpredictable breaks and unexpected accelerations, they create a panoramic pop sound that draws in both the familiar and the strange and takes them on somewhere new. With their playful and experimental style, combined with a love of good tunes, MEMORIALS sit comfortably alongside Broadcast, Portishead, Arthur Russell, The Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo and Tortoise.
Memorial Waterslides is awash with imagery evoking a lost future, a veiled present and a daydreamed past, each song playing a role in creating a swirling, widescreen atmosphere, the listener taken along for the ride.
MEMORIALS have created an otherworldly, surrealist pop record that is both timeless and timely, displaying a rare mix of classic songwriting and avant-garde attitudes. It is a remarkably confident and memorable first album.
“Everything you’d expect from a duo adept in the strange and esoteric, while also in thrall to pop music’s melodic bent” The Quietus
TOUR DATES
07 Sep: Quarry All Dayer, Liverpool, UK
13 Oct: The Hug and Pint, Glasgow UK
14 Oct: Yes, Manchester, UK
16 Oct: The Jericho Tavern, Oxford, UK
17 Oct: The Lexington, London, UK
18 Oct: Louisiana, Bristol, UK
19 Oct: Swn Festival, Cardiff, UK
21 Oct: The Parish, Huddersfield, UK
22 Oct: Dead Wax, Birmingham, UK
23 Oct: Heartbreakers, Southampton, UK
24 Oct: Alphabet, Brighton, UK
14 Dec: The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, UK*
*With Jane Weaver
