The Spitfires return with a new single and a new member
Leeds – The Spitfires have announced their comeback today with the release of a new single, already available for download here. “Idiorhythmic” comes after a long hiatus, still unexplained by the Leeds-based band. “It's a fun song, it has no real message to it, it's just a good song to listen to”, Alex wrote on the band's official forums. “We've added new influences to our style again, our music is constantly changing, we don't like constance”, Pete said.

The single also includes a surprise track for the fans, a cover of GirlSpice's Love Bomb. “We have recorded it about a week ago, after we learned that they were going to split. I just hope they don't sue us for it!”, Pete wrote on the forums, “We have covered this song before at a festival, i don't remember which one. It's a really fun song to play and it just fit with the feel of the single so we decided to do it again”.

The band has also brought a new permanent member, 19-year old drummer Lindsey Grafton, from Manchester, which was discovered by Pete on MySpace. According to him, “Lindsey is just awesome, you'll have the chance to hear her playing on this single. I knew from the momement I first heard her playing that we needed her on the band”. According to Alex, she was the one who brought many of the new influences that can be seen on the single.

In closing, The Spitfires' latest single mixes up influences ranging from Oasis and Arctic Monkeys all the way to Sonic Youth, which is undoubtly the most noticeable influence on “Idiorhythmic”.

Edited by user 06 July 2009 06:26:25(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

The Spitfires release details on their next album

Two possible covers for “Strange and Deranged”

Leeds – The Spitfires will be releasing their next album “sometime in the next two weeks”, Pete Dunham said on the band's official forum. The album, titled “Strange and Deranged”, will be released through an independent label that the band has set up exclusively for their upcoming releases.

The new album will have a lot of influence from Franz Ferdinand and Sonic Youth and, according to Alex, it will also have a sort of lo-fi feel to it. Fans will also have the opportunity to hear the band's new member, Lindsey Grafton, singing. That's right, Lindsey will take on the lead vocals for at least two songs and will be on the backing vocals for all others.

The band has not released a tracklist yet, but they've confirmed that “Strange and Deranged” is going to be an all new album, with no covers or reinterpretations of old songs. It will be released both in CD and Vynil in UK stores only.

I can't believe you're back! I'm so glad. :D The new single is awesome; I'm a big fan of Sonic Youth myself and I love the sound you're getting there. Also I like the way you described the album as "lo-fi". I'm looking forward to it a lot, I'm sure it will be a classic.
By the way, Lindsey seems to be a pretty and nice girl, and sounds like a fucking good drummer. I hope I can see you guys again some time and we can have some beers like the ol' times.
At last... if you change your mind and want me to release your album through my label (Art is Bullshit), just tell me. I'll be happy to help you.
- Eduardo Savino [vocals, guitar // Rest in Peace]

Spitfires' new album ready for release
Leeds – In a post today at the Spitfires' Official Forums, Pete Dunham announced that their next album, entitled “Strange & Deranged” is all set for release. Citing July 25th as the most probable release date, he released many new details of the album, along with preliminary .mp3 and .flac versions of three songs from the album, “Pretty Like The Sunrise”, “Frantic Romantic” and “My Forever”, recorded at Pete Dunham's home studio in Harrogate.

First of all, the album will be released in a single CD version and, altough they haven't revealed the cover art, an inside source has confirmed that they will be using one of the previously displayed covers for the CD. There is also talk of The Hangar Recordings, the independent label set up by the band for their releases, securing a distribution deal with one of the major labels, altough that has not been confirmed nor denied by Pete. The CD will also allegedly be released in a limited edition in the US, whitout any bonus tracks, however.

The three song demos released on The Spitfires'website are quite similar in nature, and suggest a slower album all-around. The first song, “Pretty Like The Sunrise” is a slow song, with deep, meaningful lyrics on friendship. According to Pete, the inspiration from this song came from a recent episode that happened with him. “Friendship is the most important, most complete, most fulfilling kind of love there is. Always value your friends. One night I started writing about it and, when I realized, I had wroten almost thirty pages of toughts. The synthesis of that became this song”, he wrote.

The second song, “Frantic Romantic” is a bit faster-paced, and “is about, well, romantic people and all the seemingly foolish things that they do when they're in love, which seems to be pretty much all the time”, Pete wrote.

The third song, “My Forever” is in essence a continuation of “Pretty Like The Sunrise” and picks up where the first song stopped. This is the kind of song that will make sensitive people cry, and as a matter of fact, both Alex and Lindsey allegedly cried their hearts out when they heard Pete's first demo. “This is a special song”, he wrote, “This one is for a very special friend of ours that is no longer among us, that's all I'm gonna say about it”. The song is the first in which the new drummer, Lindsey, takes over the lead vocals. Part of the vocals were recorded over the phone and using other curious techniques, such as recording in a bathroom and singing through a toilet paper roll.

Musically, the songs incorporate a lot of aspects of the new lo-fi aesthetics that the band has adopted. The band has experimented with a lot of unusual tunings this time and they've used such methods as using broken amp tubes and uninsulated wiring to bring a dirty feel to the songs. The guitars alternate frequently and fluidly between noisy and crisp clean tones and there are times when the two guitars almost fuse together with feedback. According to Pete, “there are some effects that even we can't replicate anymore, I mean, seriously, sometimes we have no idea of what we've done, all we know is that it sounded great. We must have used about fifteen A/B boxes on our recordings, and I mean it. But it is worth it. The contrast between pristine clean and dirty is just awesome”.

The Spitfires postpone album
Leeds - We're really sorry to announce that due to a problem with the glass master, the release of The Spitfires'next album, entitled "Strange & Derranged" will be postponed to August 1.

'Strange and Deranged' delayed, yet again
Leeds – The Spitfires announced yesterday on their forums that they will be delaying the release of 'Strange and Deranged' once again. The reason they gave this time has been Pete's personal problems. According to him he has been unable to dedicate time to the final steps in the production of the album. “I cannot stress how disappointed I am at myself for delaying the release once again, but while my music and my fans rank high on my list of priorities, there are other persons in my life who I feel I cannot let down. I apologize profusely for the delays and I ask for your comprehension this time. We're working day and night to finish it now and we're sure that it will be released on August 6. This is our final prediction and deadline. Once again, I'm sorry”, he wrote on the forums.

Several fans have expressed their support to the band, but a few have criticized Pete and the band for their “lack of professionalism”, as one fan put it. The band did not responded to the critics, but made it a point to thank every supporting post on their forums.

Pete Dunham discloses new line-up and announces EP
Leeds – The Spitfires’ frontman and producer, Pete Dunham, announced the new line-up this Monday, on the band’s official forum. According to Pete, the band will consist of four integrants once again, with himself, Alex Stone and two newcomers, Jimmy Chambers, on the drums, and Jodie Sullivan playing the bass.

Chambers, 26, is a relatively seasoned drummer, having been playing it continuously since he was 13. He was described by Pete as an energetic, technical and yet creative drummer, who brings with himself a couple of metal influences to the band.

Jodie, 22, is a self-taught bass player with a little over 7 years of experience, the last 5 of which playing with several local bands in the Leeds area. While not a very technical player, according to Pete, she has amazing musical instincts.

In addition to the new line-up, Pete also posted details of the band’s latest promise of release, an EP entitled “Untitled”. According to his post, the EP will remind fans of The Spitfires’ early songs, with simple, high spirited lyrics about day-to-day affairs. The music, on the other hand, will incorporate much of the lo-fi and experimental feel that fans have come to expect in the band’s latest releases.

“We are already working on the songs”, Pete wrote, “It will sound very familiar, but at the same time, completely new”

There is no release date set yet but, according to the post, the EP should be out by the end of February.

Edited by user 31 January 2012 02:17:11(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified