Formed in London in 2015, Curse Of Lono have been making waves in recent years with their deeply cinematic blend of harmony-laden Americana and driving, gothic alt-rock. It’s a sound that owes as much to old faithfuls like The Doors and The Velvet Underground as it does to more contemporary artists such as The War On Drugs, The National and Wilco. On August 17 the acclaimed quintet will release their second album As I Fell, the follow-up to their 2017 debut Severed, which drew plenty of attention. Although some of the songs on the album revisit familiar themes like murderous jealousy and the death of loved ones, much of the album covers new ground.
Last week the band released the first single off the album – “Valentine” – and today Glide is excited to offer a premiere of the music video for the song. With a heavy beat and a claptrack, the song feels like anthemic as the band layers vocals atop one another. The song is surprisingly uplifting for a band that often draws the gothic descriptor, but there seems to be a sort of dark humor going on that is amplified by a searing guitar solo. Ultimately “Valentine” feels like a proper rock and roll radio song, and that isn’t a bad thing.
The single’s release last week was accompanied by ‘Somewhere In Their Heads’, a short film by Gregg Houston (Noel Gallagher, Two Door Cinema Club, Michael Kiwanuka, Foy Vance), that documents the recording of the album between Joshua Tree and London with producer Oli Bayston (AKA Boxed In). The video for ‘Valentine’, also directed by Gregg Houston, uses photographs by Jonathan Donovan, who shadowed the band during the recordings.
“’Valentine’ is about the kind of murderous jealousy that twists you up until you don’t recognize yourself anymore. The sort of dejection that will make you do things you know you will regret,” says the band’s vocalist and guitarist Felix Bechtolsheimer. “We were very privileged to have had the chance to record in such a stunning location. The scenery definitely influenced the music so we wanted to pull some of that into the video.”
WATCH:
Curse of Lono release As I Fall on August 17. For more music and info visit curseoflonoband.com.
