AS THE rain starts to wrap us in autumn, at least Liverpudlian sextet Red Rum Club are here to bring a little thoughtful pop sunshine.
Today they’ve dropped a video for “The Elevation”, a sweet brass-led groove about a fractious relationship in the WhatsApp age: when you get no reply even after “the ticks go blue”.
“You’re putting me through hell / But baby, you do it do well,” laments singer Fran. Modern lue in three minutes with mariachi brass.
Fran says: “It’s about getting a message read, but the person you sent it to ignores it because they’re out; so the track is upbeat and funky to sound like a Saturday night on the dancefloor.
“The lyric ‘the ticks turn blue’ is about WhatsApp: seeing that the other person has seen your mesage, then the agonising wait to see if they reply.
“It’s the modern equivalent of sending a love letter and the pain or euphoria that comes with it.”
“The Elevation” comes from their second album, The Hollow Of Humdrum, which is out this very Friday: ten “optimistic, energetic and insightful” songs, developing from the feelgood vibe of 2018’s Matador, and keeping it light ‘n’ bright while taking time to examine souring love, mental health and masculinity.
Recorded at the home city’s legendary Parr Street Studios, the material for the new album was written out on the road: in airports, vans or hotel rooms.
Not that Red Rum Club are jaded with touring; they’ve announced details of a humungous 27-date tour for early in the new year. Tickets are on sale now via their website, and the itinerary is as follows:
Wednesday, February 10th, Newcastle, Riverside;
Thursday, February 11th, Glasgow, King Tut’s;
Friday, February 12th, Hull, The Adelphi;
Saturday, February 13th, Manchester, Club Academy;
Monday, February 15th, Sheffield, O2 Academy 2;
Tuesday, February 16th, Huddersfield, The Parish;
Wednesday, February 17th, Leeds, Brudenell Social Club;
Thursday, February 18th, Birmingham, O2 Institute 3;
Saturday, February 20th, Bedford, Esquires;
Sunday, February 21st, Oxford, Academy 2;
Monday, February 22nd, Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach;
Tuesday, February 23rd, London, Lafayette;
Thursday, February 25th, Brighton, Patterns;
Friday, February 26th, Truro, Old Bakery;
Saturday, February 27th, Exeter, The Cavern;
Sunday, February 28th, Bournemouth, The Anvil;
Tuesday, March 2nd, York, The Crescent;
After which the band will continue in support of Chrome Waves, appearing as follows:
Thursday, March 4th, Glasgow, Academy;
Saturday, March 6th, Liverpool, Mountford Hall;
Tuesday, March 9th, Leicester, O2 Academy;
Wednesday, March 10th, London, O2 Academy Brixton;
Friday, March 12th, Stoke, Keele University;
Saturday, March 13th, Norwich, Waterfront;
Sunday, March 14th, Cardiff, Tramshed,
And then peeling off for an other round of headline shows at:
Tuesday, March 16th, Bristol, Thekla
Wednesday, March 17th, Milton Keynes, The Craufurd Arms;
Thursday, March, 18th, Blackpool, Bootleg Social.
Then they’ll perform a hometown show at Liverpool’s Mountford Hall on Saturday, April 17th.
Follow Red Rum Club at their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
Red Rum Club’s The Hollow Of Humdrum will be released by Modern Sky on digital, CD, trad black and limited orange vinyl this Friday, October 2nd; various merch bundles are also available, including signed copies. Head on over to Red Rum Club’s store for yours.
