Description

The critically acclaimed The Slow Readers Club will follow their 2020 Top 10 album The Joy of the Return with the release of their new record Knowledge Freedom Power on February 24th, 2023. The Manchester band launch the album by sharing its lead single and title track.Nothing ndash not despots, pandemics, selfdestruction or the rise of the machinesndashcan keep a good band down. So, When The Slow Readers Club hit the studio in early 2022 with producer Joe Cross HurtsCourteeners, they battled dark times with a refreshing optimism. The result is Knowledge Freedom Power , a sizzling synthrock beast of a record akin to White Lies, Muse and modernday Bloc Party, and a rallying cry of emancipation, both stylistically and socially. Its a righteous punch of the air, a surge towards the future.Frontman Aaron Starkie says, The world had got so bleak it felt a little indulgent to paint apocalyptic pictures when they were out in the real world. I thought people would probably want to hear more uplifting things, it was my intention to be a bit more positive. Theres still a lot of melodrama in there and its still dystopian in places but theres more positive shades in this record. That positivity powers to the fore with the albums lead single and title track, an instantly addictive hybrid of the bands new pulsating synth style with their anthemic alt rock roots. Its streamlined, straight ndash to ndash the point hook highlights the fact that there can be an alternative to a world which is becoming increasingly authoritarian and ignoring the needs of the many in favour of the few. Aaron adds, Growing up as a council estate kid in Manchester I was very conscious of having a limited horizon and I guess I had a chip on my shoulder and something to prove. Its that background that inspired both our band name and the albums title track Knowledge Freedom Power. It is an exercise in positive slog aneering, a mantra for education as a means of a way out from social and psychological confinement. As much as the record finds The Slow Readers Club channelling a brighter spirit, theres no dumbing down of their famously ferocious and insightful lyricism. A beam of hope shines throughout Sacred Song part in the form of a spiritual saviour, but also embracing the power of love as a force for good, something which can also be achieved by the friendship and community spirit infused in Lay Your Troubles On Me . Yet a darkness still looms large, whether its within the warmongering satire and ultimately individual powerlessness ndash of Seconds Out or the steady march of automation over the human workforce on opener Modernise Knowledge Freedom Power is the bands sixth album and the latest giant leap in one of the greatest selfmade success stories in recent British rock history. Since debuting in 2011 with their eponymous and self released debut album, theyve constantly grown in stature leading to sold out headline gigs including the Manchester Apollo and Londons Scala , shows as guests to Pixies ,Catfish and The Bottlemen and James , as well as festivals stretching from the Neighbourhood Weekender to Mad Cool Madrid.When lockdown kicked in the same week that The Joy Of The Return debuted at 9, The Slow Readers Club reacted to the cancellation of their touring plans by creating a darker, more ethereal set of songs, which they recorded via Whats App and Google Drive and by recording one band member at a time in the studio. The result was 91 Days in Isolation , which they selfreleased in October 2020 Knowledge Freedom Power The Slow Readers Club Vinyl is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £26 +P&P