WL//WH Premiere // QLOWSKI: Defeat Is Not “Surrender”

WL//WH Premiere QLOWSKI

Even when you feel resolutely in the camp of the defeated, you should know, that defeat has nothing to do with surrender. Qlowski AKA Mickey, Cecilia, Christian, Lucy and James, are here to evolve, more determined than ever.

Furious, relentless, celestial and poetic, London-based concrete-punks Qlowski announce their anticipated forthcoming 12-track second album, “The Wound”, slated for November 1, 2024, via Maple Death (EU/ROW) and Feel It Records(AU/NA), through the first excerpt “Surrender”, visualized by the art house video clip directed by Suzanna Kiss, WL//WH is very pleased to premiere.

Still led by the dual force of Italian founding members Mickey and Cecilia, Qlowski has expanded into a collective with the addition of Christian, Lucy and James, creating a sense of urgency and sweeping palette that was only hinted at on their debut “Quale Futuro?” from three years ago.

Album Artwork by Volodea Biri

Spread out between London, New York and Glasgow, The Wound, is also the result of the dramatic past years we have been living in, written in between protests on the streets of London, rallies, Pro-Palestine marches, Renters’ Union gatherings, a sense of helplessness spreading but also a euphoric determination to fight and bring social justice at all costs.

Dream-punk, propulsive rhythms, oblique kiwi-pop, and dark punk are still part of their vocabulary but the band smashes borders with kosmische soundscapes, art-pop ballads, industrial beats and funked-up low-thud. Sonically impeccable, and loaded with ear candy, the album, recorded in Dublin at Sonic Studios by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), one of today’s most innovative producers a record, is felt by the group like the culmination of their lives, politics and sense of community.

Picture by @rishavacharya

We recorded ‘Surrender’ with our friend Louis Milburn when the idea of an album was still just a thought at the back of our minds, but in a way, it encapsulates all the elements that later would define the rest of the album.Mickey says

With hints of The Cure’s bittersweet surreal sensibilities shrouded in early Arcade Fire’s loud bursts of euphoria, “Surrender” casts a dull grey haze bouncing over loose punchy drum beats, and snaky lithe bass grooves, amid a reflective dubwise interlude, whilst rippling and harsh distorted guitar riffs alongside icy bright winding keyboard melodies, sway and soar in unison with nostalgic wistful vocals and angsty female backups, pleading with heart-aching convictions.

The Official Video by Suzanna Kiss sets elaborate handcrafted costumes (Maura Sappilo) and dramatic make-up (Maddy Frances Alcaraz) on the cast (Michele Tellarini, Cecilia Corapi, Paula Ines, Aya Al Shalchi, Siobhan Donnachie, Christine Aalberg, Ennio) against Iris McConnell’s imaginative props to bring forth an action packed, social justice, silent film extravaganza.

QLOWSKI‘s upcoming sophomore album, co-released by Maple Death (EU /ROW) and Feel It Records (AU /NA), is due out on November 1, 2024.

The Ltd. Orange and Black Standard LP 12″ Vinyl editions (both include poster-zine and feature stunning artwork by Volodea Biri and photography by Nika De Carlo) are on Pre-Order at this link.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><a href="https://qlowski.bandcamp.com/album/the-wound">The Wound by Qlowski</a>

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