Description
The critically acclaimed The Slow Readers Club will follow their 2020 Top 10 album lsquoThe Joy of the Returnrsquo with the release of their new record lsquoKnowledge Freedom Powerrsquo 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 lsquoKnowledge Freedom Powerrsquo , 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. Itrsquos a righteous punch of the air, a surge towards the future.Frontman Aaron Starkie says, ldquoThe 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. Therersquos still a lot of melodrama in there and itrsquos still dystopian in places but therersquos more positive shades in this record.rdquoThat positivity powers to the fore with the albumrsquos lead single and title track, an instantly addictive hybrid of the bandrsquos 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, ldquoGrowing 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. Itrsquos that background that inspired both our band name and the albumrsquos title track lsquoKnowledge Freedom Powerrsquo. It is an exercise in positive slog aneering, a mantra for education as a means of a way out from social and psychological confinement.rdquo As much as the record finds The Slow Readers Club channelling a brighter spirit, therersquos no dumbing down of their famously ferocious and insightful lyricism. A beam of hope shines throughout lsquoSacred Songrsquo 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 lsquoLay Your Troubles On Mersquo . Yet a darkness still looms large, whether its within the warmongering satire and ultimately individual powerlessness ndash of lsquoSeconds Outrsquo or the steady march of automation over the human workforce on opener lsquoModernisersquo lsquoKnowledge Freedom Powerrsquo is the bandrsquos 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, theyrsquove constantly grown in stature leading to sold out headline gigs including the Manchester Apollo and Londonrsquos 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 lsquoThe Joy Of The Returnrsquo 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 lsquo91 Days in Isolationrsquo , which they selfreleased in October 2020 Knowledge Freedom Powerrsquo
