Today (4th August), Brand New Friend release the single ‘Stars Bleed’ following their recent announcement of their forthcoming album Grandstand to be released September 15th. A song indebted to ‘Terror Twilight’ era Pavement, country artists like Skeeter Davis and 60’s pop icon Sandie Shaw, ‘Stars Bleed’ is the story of a young man asked to leave home, packing whatever he can into a car and driving North. Written in one go, sitting around a fire pit in the summertime, this single is the final offering before the album’s release.
No strangers to Ireland’s buzzing live scene, Brand New Friend have been making waves with some incendiary live shows across the island. Their honest indie-pop has taken them from sticky-floored venues to sold-out festivals, including Reading and Leeds, Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Electric Picnic.
Speaking of ‘Stars Bleed, ’ the band say, “The very end of this song was recorded on our producer’s (Danny Ball) iPhone. He literally asked me to go for a take on the acoustic guitar and didn’t tell me he was recording it. I thought it was a joke at first, but he put it on the record and it sounds class, like you’re in the room with me”. Heavily inspired by Pavement’s ‘Major Leagues’, the track takes its main inspiration from a good friend of the band who needed support from them in a time of need.
Listen to ‘Stars Bleed’ – BELOW:
In 2015, the Johnson siblings began making music in their family home on Northern Ireland’s rugged north coast. Within a few years, they went from playing their local pub in the sleepy village of Castlerock to playing festival stages all over the UK and Ireland. After meeting drummer Luke Harris and lead guitarist Aaron Milligan in a Portrush pub (then performing as their own two-piece band), it seemed inevitable the five would unite, completing the line-up almost by accident.
Following the release of their debut album Seatbelts for Aeroplanes in 2018, they’ve hit the road in support of Snow Patrol, Lewis Capaldi, Ash, Starcrawler, At The Drive-In, RAT BOY and Feeder. Along the way, Brand New Friend has garnered support from the likes of Steve Lamacq, Gemma Bradley, Tom Robinson, John Kennedy, Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart, receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1, Radio X and BBC 6 Music.
Irish Tour
27th September – Conway’s Yard, Cork
29th September – Whelan’s, Dublin
30th September – Limelight, Belfast
The upcoming album Grandstand is due for release on 15th September 2023- Pre-save Grandstand here.
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