HOWIE PAYNE – Releases New Single ‘Hold Steady The Wire’, – Listen Now!

HOWIE PAYNE - Releases New Single ‘Hold Steady The Wire’, - Listen Now!

Howie Payne today releases a new single, ‘Hold Steady The Wire’, the latest track to emerge from his long-awaited new album ‘Mountain’, to be released on October 27th on Full Stack Records. The new album, The Stands’ frontman’s first since his 2009 Ethan Johns-produced debut ‘Bright Light Ballads’, contains the recent Radio X playlisted single ‘The Brightest Star’, plus new tracks ‘Some Believer, Sweet Dreamer’ (selected for Apple Music’s Best Of The Week) and ‘High Times’.

Speaking of the writing of the new single, Howie says; “I had the windows open late at night and could hear the crowds of people coming out of the pubs and all that in the distance, you know, shouting, laughing, fighting, singing, all the stuff that happens. I was playing this old Spanish guitar with nylon strings, it really lent itself to those kinds of flamenco style chords, so I was doing some of that and just listening to the sounds in the air. There’d been a storm earlier, thunder and lightning, one of those nights that feels like you’re in a film. The chord progression is very satisfying to play, kind of hypnotic, I was playing it round and round and then the song arrived, and everything that was in the air just all found its way into it.”

Listen to ‘Hold Steady The Wire’ BELOW:

https://soundcloud.com/howiepayne/hold-steady-the-wire

‘Mountain’ was recorded at London’s State of The Ark Studios during the last week of July 2017 before being mixed and mastered in Los Angeles.

“I think ‘Mountain’ is my best record so far,” says Howie.“It’s got a mellow vibe but the songs are rooted in real life which gives it some weight and a bit of edge’.

“We recorded it in just four days, and pretty much live, during one of the hottest weeks of the year, and you can hear it in the sound, like the voltage is heavier, and the air is thicker in the silence between the instruments. Most of the tracks were recorded in just a few takes – we’d never played them together before but the band were just really on it. We’d run through a song once or twice, get the sounds up and then play it until we got a version that sparked. I did ‘Bright Light Ballads’ the same way and I really dug how after you do a take you can listen to the song right then, with the singing and everything. I’ve made records where I’ve built it up from a zillion parts, and it’s cool, but I went at this one live because there’s something different about the feel you get into the songs when everyone’s playing and singing at the same time, you know.”

In October Howie will embark on a headline UK tour. The set will feature songs by The Stands, songs from ‘Bright Light Ballads’, plus Howie will premiere the new songs from ‘Mountain’. The eleven-date tour starts at Liverpool Buyers Club on October 12th and culminates with a show at The Borderline in London on October 28th. 


HOWIE PAYNE UK TOUR OCTOBER 2017

Thurs 12th Liverpool – Buyers Club
Fri 13th Leeds – Belgrave Music Hall
Sat 14th Glasgow – Hug & Pint
Sun 15th Manchester – Night People
Mon 16th Newcastle – Think Tank
Fri 20th Birmingham – Actress & Bishop
Sat 21st Nottingham – Bodega
Sun 22nd Leicester The Cookie
Mon 23rd Oxford – The Bullingdon
Wed 25th Southampton – The Joiners
Sat 28th London – The Borderline

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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