2 years since their contribution to the HELMET tribute record ‘Meantime [Redux]’, and almost 3 years since the release of their acclaimed self-titled record, German-Australian alt noise rockers HEADS. are back with a new album called ‘Collider’. Driven by atmospheric, smooth, trance-infusing, yet gloomy and intricate rhythm, their first new single “Urges” may sound the opposite of the more dynamic noise rock anthems the genre has become known for, but there’s a catchiness and a lot of adventure behind the repetitive strumming of their slowly moving riffs and dreamy vocals. HEADS. have wisely sidestepped their old ground by upgrading their sound palette for an endlessly listenable record, and we can’t wait to hear it in its entirety! Meanwhile, check out the new track “Urges”, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
With Collider the German-Australian trio evade all the pitfalls of the sophomore slump. These ten songs carry an atmosphere of restrained anger and maturity, capturing a somber narrative that continues to resonate and leave the listener pondering. Collider listens like a trudge through inhospitable badlands with each song starting as if it was always there, and you just walk into the music at hearing distance.
Collider by HEADS is out April 6, 2018 via This Charming Man Records (Europe, pre-order HERE), Corpse Flower Records (North America), and Heart Of The Rat Records (Australia/NZ). The record was tracked at Ghost City Recordings in Röttenbach, Germany, mixed and mastered by the one and only Magnus Lindberg of CULT OF LUNA, and features an artwork by Fabian Bremer.
Here’s what they have to say about the new track:
“The initial idea for Urges came to us after we played some big reverb heavy rooms in Europe over the last couple of years. We wanted to write a song that would highlight these echoes, to turn up and play and enjoy the resonance that’s created within the spaces in the music. The words came to me while walking through a particularly dark Berlin about 3am one night. I stood in a doorway out of the rain and scribbled down the lyrics before they were gone. Essentially, the song is about the repeated errors and mistakes we make as humans, the things we want to change but aren’t able to.”
Having members spread out over the globe, the band adjusted their writing and recording process to accommodate work schedules and extended family visits. On top of this, Collider features a whole string of guest musicians who infuse the record with extra fresh sounds.
Kevin Whitley from legendary US noise rockers Cherubs joins the band on ‘Smile’, while Luc Hess (Kunz + Closet Disco Queen + ex-The Ocean) lends his incredible drumming to ‘Youth’ and ‘To Call and Let It Ring’. Emilie Zoë (solo + Autisti) and Fabian Bremer (Radare + graphic design) bring the haunting qualities of their musicianship to ‘Wolves at the Door’. All of this is held together by an impeccable mix and mastering of the one-and-only Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna).
This album proves HEADS to be masters at bending noise into narrative and heavy riffing into images of vast wastelands. Collider is art rock meeting sludge in a carefully arranged interplay of grave digging and marble sculpting. A bleak redefinition of heartland rock that’s situated on the verge of the savage and the sophisticated. (Robert Westerveld of Arctic Drones)
