INDIE SCENE VETERANS RELEASE MOVING NEW SINGLE:
NEW ALBUM: ‘BRIGHT HOURS’ RELEASED 19 FEBRUARY 2021, VIA FOUNDATION II PRE-ORDER HERE
Released today, “My Wet Face” is the new single from indie-scene veterans: BRADFORD.
One of the many highlights of ‘Bright Hours’, it is the latest tantalising glimpse of what will be the band’s first album for over 30 years when released on 19 February 2021.
Recalling the golden-gilded works of Teenage Fanclub or Doves, “My Wet Face” is an uplifting piece of Northern power-pop that knowingly nods to Bradford’s past and present.
Hallmarked with those classic shimmering guitars and finely-sculpted melodies by which the band first made their name; there is also an undercurrent of melancholia and wistful lyricism here that indicate a band changed by the interim years that have passed since their 1988 debut.
A simple song about complex emotions, frontman Ian H. says of the track:
“My Wet Face is an ‘up’ song dealing with a ‘down’ subject – the essential existential dilemma that absolutely nothing material can be held onto in any meaningful way. It’s about the pain of life where essentially our memory is the only thing that can comfort us with recollections of beautiful moments, or even painful ones which have been somewhat assuaged by the passing of time.”
Also inspired in-passing by Ian’s late mother who died of dementia “and didn’t even recognise me or my sister or my father in her final two years on earth”; the track provides a potent pause for thought on the fragility of the human mind and memories we come to treasure.
Tying in with the song’s nostalgic themes, the single arrives with an artfully designed video by William Tucker. Unfolding like the pages of a well-worn scrapbook its content whirls through Bradford’s roller-coaster journey to the here and now. Created & produced by Bradford (Ian Hodgson, Ewan Butler & Stephen Street), “My Wet Face” was mixed by Stephen Street (Blur/New Order/ Kaiser Chiefs) and mastered by John Davies at Metropolis mastering. It is taken from what will be Bradford’s first new studio album in over three decades: ‘Bright Hours’ – set for release next month.
Bradford are a revered indie band formed in Blackburn in 1988. Championed by Morrissey, the band earned a cult status with their acclaimed debut album ‘Shouting Quietly’ in 1990, a record as-produced at the time by Stephen Street. Touring with the likes of Joe Strummer, The Sugarcubes, Morrissey and more, the band burned brightly and brilliantly. Fading away against the neon glow of the Madchester era, the band split in 1991.
Fast forward to 2018 and a re-mastered 30 song collection entitled ‘Thirty Years Of Shouting Quietly’ was released on Turntable Friend Records. The album was re-appraised as a ‘lost English classic’. This rekindling of belief slowly re-ignited the magic and chemistry that always existed between the band [now Ian H and Ewan Butler] and Stephen Street. So much so, that Stephen decided to join forces with them and become a fully fledged member of the band.
With a new look line-up on illuminating form, as a trio Bradford have lovingly crafted a jewel of a new album: ‘Bright Hours’ to be released on the 26 February 2021 (on the Foundation II label). The latest single from the album, “My Wet Face”, is out on all streaming services now.
BRADFORD – “MY WET FACE” – OUT NOW
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