Punk crossover band, Midwich Cuckoos, are pleased to share their new single ‘To The Grave’ available to stream today through all good digital service providers.
Stream Now https://midwichcuckoos.lnk.to/tothegrave
To celebrate the release, the band have unveiled a new animated music video.
The track is taken from their forthcoming studio album Death or Glory released digitally In two parts: Death (released 24th Nov 2021) and Glory (released 23rd Feb 2021) with a physical album release set for 8th April 2021 via Onslaught Music
A visual homage to 80s action-adventure programmes, the music video is comprised of rich animated stills by artist, Will Tubby. It documents Midwich Cuckoo’s infamous plague doctor mascot, Dee Dee, as they face down a bold assortment of mysterious enemies. Commenting on the single and video, Drummer Dan Rouse explains:
“As the title suggests, the track is about keeping a secret, at all costs. The idea is that there are some people who might choose to give you up / betray you to get ahead, and there are others that will put absolutely everything on the line to protect you and take your secrets TO THE GRAVE.
Covid brought out different things in different people, some came together, others relished the change of pace, some frayed at the edges, some totally lost their shit. It brought about a different outlook on life for many of us. To the grave celebrates all the change that stirred things up and made us question the norm and re-evaluate the day-to-day.
The secret formula serum vial 🧪 is a recurring icon in the video. Everyone’s looking for a cure or a solution for something. For illness, for covid, for making ends meet, for boredom. There are always those that spot an opportunity to take advantage of a situation and even turn a profit. There are deals to be made. It represents something that could maybe fix everything and bring back things we’ve lost, or maybe not…”
Death or Glory cements in a permanent line-up for the previously rotating cast of band members with the addition of Tanzy Velayne (vocals), Rob Jones (guitar), and Dan Rouse (drums), and refines the band’s unique, expansive collaborative approach to 21st-century punk rock.
Over the past couple of years, the Cuckoos have carved out a name for themselves on the UK punk scene as a stellar live act, and have been compared to The Bronx, The Offspring and The Distillers. Now, they’re taking things in an entirely different direction.
Wielding an ambitious and experimental concept album with a narrative that follows new vocalist Tanzy Valayne’s journey of atonement to regain entry to heaven, the new look Midwich Cuckoos are a fine-tuned 12-legged rock’n’roll, punk and metal machine.
“The approach we took for our first album was a really experimental approach at the time, and we recorded it remotely in various countries and timezones. We basically did the lockdown album before it was cool!” laughs guitarist Lesley O’Brien.
“The new album is more audibly cohesive, but it’s a wild ride for the listener. Now that we’ve introduced Tanzy and Rob into the band and had a few years playing with them, we’ve worked out our strengths and been able to really have fun with 3 guitars. Plus with 6 people in the band, we’re not short of ideas.”
Fans of the band can expect a hard punk rock album that takes influence from 80s film soundtrack nostalgia and is packed full of gorgeous vocal harmonies. “If Iron Maiden’s Eddie and The Terminator adopted a girl with a low attention span from the Lost Boys vampire gang, THIS is what she’d listen to,” grins O’Brien, as she describes the record.
Midwich Cuckoos latest release coincides with news that they will be joining the lineup for the 2022 instalment of Manchester Punk Festival alongside The Skints, A Wilhelm Scream, Belvedere and many more. Further details and live dates will be revealed over the coming months.
‘To The Grave’ is out now via Onslaught Music
