Dublin-based indie rock/alt band Silverbacks have announced the release of their third full-length album ‘Easy Being A Winner‘.
New single/video “Something I Know”, accompanies today’s announcement. The 11-track album will be out on October 18th on Central Tones. Pre-order your copy here.
The and recorded recorded Easy Being a Winner with Dan Fox (Gilla Band) in Sonic Studios in Stoneybatter, Dublin. Some seven years into Silverbacks, they say definitively that this is what they sound like. What they want to sound like. “A lot of the songs are new, but the album reminds me of the times Kilian and I spent in the garage as teenagers writing songs together and imagining what our band could achieve,” says lead singer and guitarist Daniel O’Kelly.
“Fad and Archive Material naturally drew a lot of comparisons to the post-punk scene. But I never saw those albums in that way. But I sometimes felt the people coming to our shows and the press we got came to see us for those comparisons. Now that Easy Being a Winner is coming out, I feel I can more confidently say who we are. We’re indie rock. And this album sounds even more like the indie rock I imagined for our band all those years ago.”
It’s no surprise, then, that the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Guided by Voices are mentioned as influences. They also love Stereolab, a key touchstone for the aforementioned ‘Something I Know’. The drumbeat by Gary Wickham, who Daniel met for the first time at a Wilco gig, is intricate on this one and carries the song beautifully. Cult Irish band Rollerskate Skinny, indie legends Yo La Tengo, and Mercury Rev are all cited, as is an interesting name: Nick Cave. Daniel says he took some lyrical inspiration from his engagement with religion and imagery.
Lyricist and guitarist Kilian O’Kelly says:
”Lyrically, it tells the story of a religious person who is at a crossroads in their life. They have fallen in love with someone but also remain committed to their faith – a very common story from the past. The singer and main character is damned if they commit themselves to their religious duties as they will always be left wondering what could have been, and deems themselves to be damned by a higher power if they pick love and turn their backs to their ongoing religious commitments and faith. Whether or not the main character is turning to their loved one, or turning to a God, is left open. The song also has a special feature from mine and (vocalist and guitarist) Daniel’s dad, John. He plays clarinet drones on the track and also provides a sermon from the sky style spoken word at the end.”
Check out “Something I Know” below, followed by the album’s artwork and tracklist.
Silverbacks “Easy Being A Winner” Tracklist:
- Selling Shovels
- Giving Away An Inch Of
- Look At All You’ve Done
- Hideaway
- Something I Know
- Flex 95
- Spinning Jenny
- No Rivers Around Here
- Billion Star Night Light
- Songs About Divide
- Easy Being A Winner
Photo Credit: Róisín Murphy O’Sullivan
