Acclaimed Edinburgh indie trio We Were Promised Jetpacks will release their much-anticipated, brand new album Enjoy the View on 10 September via Big Scary Monsters. Along with this announcement is the release of single Fat Chance. Following on from previous single If It Happens – released via 7” – these new tracks signify a change in musical direction for the band, with Fat Chance an ode to overcoming – even thriving – despite the odds.
In the time since 2018’s The More I Sleep the Less I Dream, the rock outfit comprising Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with founding member Michael Palmer the following year, they foresaw a likely sonic transition.
They commenced writing the new album at the end of March 2020, just before the world shut down due to COVID. A forthcoming US tour was cancelled. So, over the following months, the band sent each other ideas remotely, collaborating on the new project while in lockdown. Finally able to access their practice space that July, they jammed away and wrote some more. Fat Chance was a product of those earlier sessions.
“I was just messing about on guitar in our studio and got the verse chords and as soon as the other guys joined in, we had a song! We can sometimes spend weeks and months and years trying to get the right parts together but this one flowed.” -Adam Thompson
Longtime fans often cite We Were Promised Jetpacks’s flair for writing infectious pop songs with grandiose guitar rock soundscapes, however new single ‘Fat Chance’ is a change of pace and a glimpse of what’s to come from the forthcoming album. Its tightly packed drums and cleverly woven guitar arrangements show the band’s dexterity with melody. Fifteen years into their career, the trio are clearly more focused than ever.
“We’re all very appreciative of the people who are listening to us,” Darren says. “It pushes us to keep getting better.” Nodding to both the band and their ever-loyal fans, Adam agrees. “It is very much our band, and we do this because we can do it together.”
Pre-order ‘Enjoy the View’ HERE
UK TOUR DATES:
December 2021:
2 Dec – Lemon Tree – Aberdeen, Scotland
3 Dec – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds, England
4 Dec – Whelans – Dublin, Ireland
5 Dec – Gorilla – Manchester, England
7 Dec – Village Underground, London England
8 Dec – Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff, Wales
9 Dec – Exchange – Bristol, England
10 Dec – Cluny – Newcastle, England
11 Dec – QMU – Glasgow, Scotland
EU TOUR DATES:
February 2022:
8 Feb – Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso (upstairs)
9 Feb – Cologne, DE, Luxor
10 Feb – Hamburg, DE, Uebel & Gefarlich
11 Feb – Berlin, DE, Gretchen
12 Feb – Munich, DE, Ampere
14 Feb – Saarbucken, DE, Garage
15 Feb – Zurich, CH, Papiersaal
16 Feb – Wiesbaden, DE, Schlachtof
17 Feb – Luxembourg City, LUX, Rotondes
18 Feb – Antwerp, BE, Kavka
18 Feb – Paris, FR, La Boule Noire
