The Act: DESPERATE JOURNALIST

The Release: 'AFRAID'

The Formats: DIGITAL SINGLE

The Release Date: JULY 24TH 2024

The Digital Link: orcd.co/desperatejournalist_afraid

The Truth: life-affirmingly deadpan quartet DESPERATE JOURNALIST release a spectacular new single called 'Afraid' on July 24th. This is the second track to be taken from their forthcoming fifth album, entitled 'No Hero' and released on September 27th on fierce panda, with Rough Trade instores to coincide and tourdates coming both at the end of this year and the start of 2025.

'No Hero' is available to pre-order on coloured vinyl, compact disc and cassette in various guises right now from: townsendmusic.store/products/artist/Desperate+Journalist

The furiously emotive foursome returned to the musical affray with 'Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2' on June 10th, which saw them push and pull their original noirish indie sound into newer, ever more nubile shapes and jagged angles without losing that shadowy essence rare. 'Afraid' ups that intense ante by laying on the melodic passion in spades , singer Jo erupting with a great big gulping Bjork-type chorus (see: "I love you and I'm sick of everything / I love you, you're the only one listening") before everything glides off into a gloweringly enraptured denouement. Or, as Jo explains...

"I wanted this song to convey a kind of vertiginous joy - with the spiky time signature and anxious verses hurtling along into a big sunny resolution. It is quite romantic I think, even though it's on edge. The title comes from a twatty backhanded compliment I once received: "what's good about you is you're not afraid to be ugly". It was pleasing to be able to turn that around and use it as a statement of strength based in non-judgemental love.

"In terms of writing and recording this, it was a very steep learning curve figuring out how to use an arpeggiator on something in 5/4 and it not sound just completely bonkers in a bad way. But we (well, Rob) did it! It's an odd little song with loads of bits which shouldn't quite all work together but they somehow do and I think it is very much more than the sum of its parts."

And that is the 'No Hero' album in a heroic nutshell: there are shiny synthesisers; there are fantastical gothic ruminations; there are stormtrooping melodies; there are ghostly piano-led interludes, berserk guitar outbursts and the odd bit which sounds a bit like The Icicle Works.

Desperate Journalist now very much consist of Jo Bevan (vocals, synths and drum machine); Robert Hardy (guitars, synths and piano); Caroline Helbert (drums, drum machines and percussion); Simon Drowner (bass and synths). They will be playing these live shows here:

SEPTEMBER 13TH SOUTHEND Chinnerys
SEPTEMBER 28TH LONDON Rough Trade Instore
SEPTEMBER 30TH BRISTOL Rough Trade instore
OCTOBER 2ND LIVERPOOL Rough Trade instore
NOVEMBER 21ST BEDFORD Esquires
NOVEMBER 22ND BIRMINGHAM The Dark Horse
NOVEMBER 23RD BRIGHTON Dust
JANUARY 15TH BRISTOL Exchange
JANUARY 16TH NOTTINGHAM Bodega
JANUARY 17TH LEEDS Belgrave Music Hall
JANUARY 18TH MANCHESTER YES
JANUARY 23RD LONDON HIGHBURY The Garage

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