Taken from their forthcoming Ruins EP (May 10th), which showcases collabs and remixes from Japan to Circassia, underground hybrid trad-electronic duo Stick In The Wheel release their new single today – the slow-burn grime-epic Ruins VIP that laments civilisations falling again and again, using a 10th-century text allegedly citing the fall of Roman Bath. Said the band:
“The words from this poem feel particularly resonant today, where cities and communities are being ruined before our eyes from Gaza to Sudan, Congo to Ukraine. We made this track as a lament for all that is happening: past, present, future.” To reflect that fact, all proceeds from the release will go to Médecins Sans Frontières.
The accompanying video, a night(mare) vision of all that’s lost, a hellscape of nowhere and everywhere that hits right in the chest, is by Zeroh (Neil Hetherington and Daniel Hardiker), whom the duo have previously worked with on tracks like their dystopian trad-offering, The Cuckoo.
Combinations of sound that are unexpected and completely unique, discordant interludes and ragged-edged drones: these aren’t the things you might expect to find on a folk album. But we live in accelerated times, and if music doesn’t change, it will die out. No one recognises that fact quite so keenly as Stick In The Wheel, who continue to be one of the most groundbreaking and unpredictable acts in any of the countless genres they move between.
Thomas Blake on Tonebeds for Poetry, KLOF
Pre-Order Ruins EP (Digital and Ltd Edition CD or Cassette): https://stickinthewheel.bandcamp.com/album/ruins-ep
Stick In The Wheel Live (Selected Dates)
03 May 2024 London, Moth Club (Spider Stacy-curated Red Roses/Pogues event)
23 May 2024 Norfolk & Norwich Festival
13 Jul 2024 Czech Republic, Colour Meeting Festival
03 Aug 2024 Sidmouth Folk Festival
16 Aug 2024 Cumberlandia
24 Aug 2024 Northgate Folk Festival
For more information, and full live dates etc., visit their website: https://www.stickinthewheel.com/