Having sold out their limited edition colour vinyl of The Blanck Mass Sessions for Record Store Day on Saturday, Editors today unveil the second track from the album: ‘Hallelujah (So Low)’. Fans queued overnight to get their hands on the limited physical run and copies are now changing hands online for over £100. The LP made up of producer Blanck Mass’ original productions of their acclaimed 2018 top 10 album Violence, is out on general release on May 3rd via Play It Again Sam.
With its space-age soundscape, trickling drum patterns and laser-blasted euphoric chorus, ‘Hallelujah (So Low)’ gifts a fascinating insight into the creative process of the two albums. The warmth of the Violence version’s acoustic guitar and earthy chorus are replaced with sparse, ethereal synths, giving the track, and The Blanck Mass Sessions in general, a mechanical, other-worldly edge.
Listen to ‘Hallelujah (So Low)’ – BELOW:
The story of The Blanck Mass Sessions begins in 2017. Editors invited producer Benjamin John Power, aka Blanck Mass, to deconstruct the recordings that were to be the building blocks of Violence, and reassemble them in his signature saw-toothed experimental electronica. The band then enlisted producer Leo Abrahams to find a middle ground between the two recordings, fusing the raw emotion of their takes with the sparse ferocity of the Blanck Mass original productions. Whilst this fusion of the three creative influences went on to become Violence, Benjamin’s versions remained a work of art worthy of their own release, as frontman Tom Smith explains:
“When we initially approached Ben to work with us on Violence we gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted. It seemed stupid to try and instill any boundaries or direction to him as he has such a singular, authored sound to everything he puts his hand to… so we left him to it. The results of that process being this release. A very visceral version of our album Violence.”
The new song follows lead single ‘Barricades’, the only completely original track on the album, which came out last month, complete with a deeply satisfying mechanical video created by Bristol based Hi-Sim Studios – watch below:
Six studio albums into their existence and Editors sound as energised as ever. 2018 saw the release of Violence; another top 10 record to add to their impressive back catalogue, which includes two #1 albums and 3 platinum certifications. A sold out UK tour culminating in an acclaimed show at O2 Academy Brixton followed a string of festival performances, including supporting The Cure at BST in Hyde Park and headlining the Werchter Classic, topping a bill that also contained heavyweights Kraftwerk and The National.
The Blanck Mass Sessions tracklist:
1. Barricades
2. Cold
3. Hallelujah (So Low)
4. Violence
5. Darkness At The Door
6. Nothingness
7. Magazine
8. Counting Spooks
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