“It’s funny because I can be in an amazing mood and write a dark song, or a terrible mood and write the happiest tune,” muses Uzumaki vocalist and guitarist Alex Cheung. Speaking on their new single release, the latest cut to be revealed from the London-based four-piece’s forthcoming debut album, he continues: “Uzumaki generally has an air of contrast between light and dark and ‘Look Outside’ definitely leans on the latter. We all have influences all over the shop, so it’s so awesome to be able to channel different ideas into the record. It’s no secret that ‘Look Outside’ is inspired by grunge and a product of frustration and the seek for release. We’ve all been stuck in life, in jobs, relationships, whatever. ‘Look Outside’ is a commentary of my own experiences with this lyrically and gives a sense of hope/achievement by the end of the track sonically. We love playing this song live and we’re excited to share it. Listen to this one loud.”
You can hear the band play this very track, and more from their burgeoning oeuvre, live this July at a handful of shows with Californian band Movements. See below for dates.
Uzumaki’s debut album ‘waded’ will be released 13th September via Everything Sucks Music. Its killer lead single – ‘Scenes of Beauty’ – introduced the scuzzed-up, Britpop-imbibed, singalong magic of ‘waded’ with aplomb. This band embody that 90s slacker-grunge vibe but Uzumaki’s music itself is anything but slack, with a crucially tight rhythm section, fuzzed-up guitars, the hookiest of hooks and earworm choruses in spades. Inspired by the likes of Teenage Fanclub, old school Weezer, Pulp, Blur, Sonic Youth and Sebadoh, the band have a fresh and energised take on some classic sounds.
‘waded’ was recorded at The Bookhouse in London with Tom Hill. As Cheung says: “Tom is amazing at capturing the sound of the room, keeping a realness to the recording which is so often lost these days. The demos for this album were very complete, with bells and whistles already locked in, so the recording session was less about the crafting of the songs than it was about capturing the natural energy of us playing the songs for real.”
That raw and real energy is evident throughout this full length, which conveys both the feel of a crucial live band and the dynamic brilliance of some truly gifted songwriters. Uzumaki originally formed in Norwich but all the band’s members eventually ended up in London – a city which has become a big part of Uzumaki’s identity. After having self-recorded their early stuff in Norwich, then recording debut EP ‘Square One’ in the middle-of-nowhere, London felt like the natural place to bring ‘waded’ to life. As Cheung explains, the record “is essentially the personification of Uzumaki” and London is at the core of the band’s very being.
Uzumaki started their life in recorded music with their first ever single premiering on BBC Introducing, which led to plays on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and beyond, with Uzumaki reaching discerning ears across the globe. The band have shared stages with acts such as Superheaven, Glitterer, The Front Bottoms and Vundabar.
UK TOUR WITH MOVEMENTS:
05 July Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
06 July Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
07 July London, Islington Assembly Hall
08 July Brighton, Chalk
CONNECT WITH UZUMAKI:
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