Leeds/Wakefield garage punk band Drahla have announced the release of their long-awaited second album ‘angeltape‘.
The follow-up to their 2019 critically acclaimed debut, Useless Coordinates, will be released on April 5th via Captured Tracks, and was recorded with Matthew Benn and Jamie Lockhart in 2023. Pre-order your copy here.
To mark the announcement, the band and have shared their new single “Default Parody” and it’s accompanying video.
According to the press release, angeltape is an altogether more introspective and abstract examination of the self: “The core is off kilter I’m sure / When you feel too detached for your own words,” Brown intones on ‘Lip Sync’, an early glimpse into Drahla’s extraordinary artistic evolution.
angeltape is an avant garde document of the events that unfolded over the five-year gap between records which saw a variety of changes – good and bad – steer their professional and personal lives down unfamiliar territories. Instead of succumbing to adversity, however, Drahla re-emerge sounding creatively rejuvenated and examine this time with deeply reflective perspectives. Over the last few years, they suffered devastating losses and expanded their sound with guitarist Ewan Barr joining vocalist and guitarist Luciel Brown, bassist Rob Riggs and drummer Mike Ainsley.
These recent experiences – collective and individual – culminate in a sound that is considerably darker and tonally more complex and conceptual in its essence. Delving into themes of grief and trauma whilst simultaneously celebrating moments of sentimentality and support during difficult times, angeltape shifts between being a challenging, comforting and ultimately rewarding record for both artist and audience.
Commenting on the new single, Brown said:
“It’s controlled chaos, lots of different ideas that resolve at some strange harmony. It was the first realisation of writing something from start to finish with the addition of Ewan on guitar so there’s more freedom of interplay and from our previous roles in the band. Lyrically it’s taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s ‘to be or not to be’. It’s navigating loss of life and life with loss. ‘To be, I see, what is, to be’ it’s a one-way deconstructed conversation with yourself. The video was created at home by us with the assistance of my brother George Brown.”
Check out “Default Parody” below, followed by the album’s tracklist and artwork.
Drahla ‘angeltape’ Tracklist:
- Under The Glass
- Default Parody
- Zig-Zag
- Second Rhythm
- Talking Radiance
- Concrete Lily
- Lip Sync
- A
- Venus
- Grief In Phantasia
Drahla will also head out on tour across the EU and UK this May / June, their first since their European dates in 2023.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
05/03 – Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
05/04 – Brussels, BE – Les Nuits Botanique
05/07 – Cologne, DE- Bumann & Sohn
05/08 – Mainz, DE – Schon Schön
05/09 – Hamburg, DE – Hafenklang
05/10- Leipzig, DE – Ilses Erika
05/11 – Berlin, DE – Urban Spree
05/13 – Dresden, DE – Blechschloss
05/14 – Krakow, PL – Klub Re
05/15 – Prague, CZ – Underdogs
05/16 – Wien, AT – Arena
05/17 – Munich, DE – Kafe Kult
05/18 – Bologna, IT – DEV
05/19 – Montecosaro, IT – Teatro delle Logge
05/23 – Barcelona, ES – Sala Taro
05/21 – Clermont Ferrand, FR – Cooperative de Mai
05/22 – Toulouse, FR – METRONUM, MUSIC BOX
05/23 – Barcelona, ES – Sala Taro
05/24 – Madrid, ES – Sala Specka
05/25 – Porto, PT – Plano B
05/26 – Lisbon, PT – ZDB
05/27 – Vigo, ES – Radar Estudios & Mondo Club
05/30 – San Sebastian, ES – Dabadaba
05/31 – Bordeaux, FR – IBoat
06/03 – Paris, FR – Point Ephemere
06/04 – Lille, FR – L’AERONEF
06/06 – London, UK – Shacklewell Arms
06/07 – Bristol, UK – Dareshack
06/08 – Newcastle, UK – Star & Cinema
06/09 – Liverpool, UK – Quarry
06/10 – Manchester, UK – YES
06/12 – Glasgow, UK – The Old Hairdresser’s
06/13 – Coventry, UK – The Tin Music and Arts
06/14 – Hebden Bridge, UK – Hebden Bridge
06/15 – Leeds, UK – [Venue TBC]
07/19 – Riegsee, DE – Raut Oak Fest
Photo Credit: Drahla & George Brown
