Haven’t heard of Folly Group yet? You will soon. The London band have been taking their time with their opening salvo, such that it’s been a while since we’ve heard much from them – their most recent body of work was March 2022’s Human and Kind EP. Since then they’ve largely kept their heads down, popping up last August with ‘Strange Neighbour’ and later revealing what they’ve been working on.
It’s that long-awaited debut album – it’s called Down There! and it’s already earned them cosigns from IDLES and comparisons to the likes of Squid, Yard Act and TV Priest, which is pretty damn good company to be in if we say so ourselves. They’ve got one more single to share before the record’s release, and we’re delighted to be premiering it. ‘Pressure Pad’ is a fantastic example of the quartet’s way with dynamics and expression, not to mention a knack for nagging hooks. It’s a miracle it made the record at all, as vocalist/drummer Sean Harper explains:
“Musically, ‘Pressure Pad’ is a testament to how far we’ve come as collaborators. Every different kind of remote or in-the-room collaboration we’ve ever found fruitful was involved in creating this Frankenstein’s Monster of a single. Its final version arrived after months of exchanging files, ideas and needless spanners in the works. This is probably the 6th or 7th iteration of this song, and its final form was ultimately dictated by a deadline – we’d probably never have been able to call it finished otherwise. Every room in which this album was made has birthed one or more elements of ‘Pressure Pad:’ Louis’s flat, Tom’s flat, our rehearsal space, the studio where we recorded the bulk of the record. Lyrically, it touches on someone else being a massive part of your self, but loving it. It’s about totally going with the flow of a relationship, becoming someone you never otherwise would have been, but not over-analysing that, rather being grateful for it.”
It’s an arguable highlight on a 10-track record full of ideas and enthusiasm, pulling in more than the usual post-punk references; there’s dub, trip-hop, house and Afro-Cuban rhythms in the mix, too. Get in on the ground floor while you still can. The ‘Pressure Pad’ video is below, and keep your eyes peeled, because the album is up there, over there, Down There! and everywhere this Friday, January 12th.
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