Curse Of Lono get 'Severed' and 'Pick Up The Pieces'
Following on from the success of their recent self-titled EP acclaimed London quintet Curse Of Lono return with their eagerly anticipated debut album 'Severed' set for release on April 7th via Submarine Cat Records. The Curse Of Lono sound straddles a wasteland of dark rootsy Americana, Indie-folk and alternative gothic rock and they pull it off in style. A single from the album 'Pick Up The Pieces' will precede the album and the video for the song plus loads more about Curse Of Lono follows:
Acclaimed new London five-piece Curse Of Lono will release their debut album ‘Severed’ on Submarine Cat Records on April 7th. A sumptuously cinematic record that combines spaced out, harmony-laden indie-folk with driving, gothic alt-rock, ‘Severed’ was produced at Gun Factory studio by Oli Bayston (Boxed In).
“Oli’s a very clever guy. He just gets it. He can make dance music or Americana - he played the piano parts on the last Willie Mason record. But I didn’t want an Americana producer with a set formula, I wanted a completely blank canvas”
Founded and fronted by Felix Bechtolsheimer, formerly the singer-guitarist in British roots pioneers Hey Negrita, Curse Of Lono formed in early 2015, though the songs on ‘Severed’ were written over a 14-year period. They range from the perky, Paul Simon-ish new single ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ to the more lugubrious ‘He Takes My Place’, the almost jazzy ‘London Rain’ and the rootsy, rhythmic ‘Send For The Whiskey’. The album belongs as much to the Americana tradition and old faithfuls such as Little Feat as it does to more modern, playful practitioners of the form such as Beck.
Lyrically, the songs cover themes including infidelity and sexual jealousy, the death of friends, and Felix’s personal struggle with heroin addiction. “Although ‘Severed’ is a dark record in places, it is not an addiction record,” says Felix. “It’s about growing up enough to be able to share a drink with the ghosts of the past without letting them push you around.”
In the summer of 2015 Curse Of Lono added ex-Hey Negrita drummer Neil Findlay, lead guitarist Joe Hazell, bassist Charis Anderson and keyboardist Dani Ruiz Hernandez to the line-up. The band released their debut EP in October 2016 to glowing reviews, launching it with a sold-out gig at The Islington. The four tracks on the EP form the soundtrack to ‘Saturday Night’, a short film of inter-connected music videos directed by Alex Walker. ‘Saturday Night’, which stars Grant Masters and Marta Hermida, was released alongside the EP, with the four episodes premiering on Louder Than War, Relix, Indie Rock Café and Spindle Magazine.
To expand on the visual theme, Curse Of Lono spent a day filming at their London studio with live music video producers Ont’ Sofa, recording ten live performances which they are releasing monthly through different websites and on their own YouTube channel as ‘The Doghouse Sessions’.