We Speak Music
HIGHWAYVES deal with escapism with intense alt-rock whirlwind ‘Evie’!
HIGHWAYVES (HWYVES) are from the North West and have honed a sound that races from spacious to suffocating, combining the dark aggression of grunge with dreamlike swathes of shoegaze. Each piece punctuated with intimate, poetic lyricism that feel both personal yet incredibly universal. HIGHWAYVES are unashamedly earnest, laying bare their deepest emotions for all to join in a form of collective catharsis.
HIGHWAYVES take an obsessive approach to their art; writing, recording, and producing their own music as well as writing, directing and editing their videos. Their uncompromising approach is the key to creating an unassailable connection with their audience.
New HIGHWAYVES single “EVIE” is a slick, fuzzed-up track that soars to epic heights. A tidal wave of gritty emotion and effervescent guitars, it’s impossible not to get swept up in the track’s chorus as it twists and turns through its verses of underbelly episodes which conjure 90s nostalgia shot through to full raw power into a highly charged energy that lifts the track through to an intense whirlwind of scream-a-long anthem levels.
On the darker tones underpinning the track, HIGHWAYVES lead singer & lyricist Brad explains; “EVIE’ is heavily based on people I knew growing up who turned to drugs as a form of escapism. It’s endemic for young people where I grew up to feel a sense of entrapment and stagnation when they hit their late teens/early 20s. This is especially true if you’re drawn to city life and have a desire to be in a place where things happen. A lot of the time this manifests itself in a way that makes these kids do everything they can when they get an opportunity, whether that be drugs, sex… whatever.”
He continues, “Most people come out the other side more or less unscathed. But some people really fuck up their lives. I’ve been really close to people who have gone far down that road, it can get really really dark. Luckily those people close to me came back around and have gone on to lead great lives, but a lot never get that chance. It can happen to anyone and often it’s people you would never expect, people on the surface level who have a life that people would kill to have”.
“EVIE” wasn’t written to make a political point or say HIGHWAYVES have an answer to the issues that Brad has seen growing up. It’s not to criticise the people who this happens to, and it’s certainly not to romanticise the lifestyle but the track is here to shine a light on it and say, “Look, this is happening. We can’t deny that it’s happening, and it can happen to anyone.”
HIGHWAYVES will be heading on tour in the UK in 2024 and setting their sights further afield soon after. “EVIE” is the latest piece that will ultimately culminate in an album-length body of work in 2024.
This October, Hip-hop inna yardie style (old school fusion between reggae and hip-hop) collective L’Entourloop are set to rock UK stages, with shows in Liverpool, London & Bristol. Their Bristol date at The Trinity Center and their first London date at Village Underground are already SOLD OUT, leading to a second London date being added to deal with the high demand that L’Entourloop’s unforgettable shows create.
The dates will see L’entourloop hitting higher than ever as they perform tracks from their huge back catalogue, as well as their latest 20 track album “La clarté dans la confusion” (“Clarity in Confusion”).
Produced in their now legendary Bandulu Studio, the new album is a result of a patient production process, carried out with care and passion. Throughout the album, L’Entourloop testifies in its own way via a puzzle of film samples, of this strange period that we have just gone through collectively, using all its savoir faire when it comes to make the people dance.
Since 1964, when the song “My Boy Lollipop” flooded the European radio airwaves, L’Entourloop’s love for reggae and its culture has never stopped growing. With this third album, they wanted to pay tribute to the legendary pioneers of this incredible movement – artists and producers such as Tom Wong, Count Machuki, Prince Buster and Lee “Scratch” Perry. An album which is a true declaration of love for soundsystem culture and its children – reggae, dancehall and hip-hop.
The success of their previous albums “Chickens in Your Town” (2015) and “Le Savoir Faire” (2017), with their famous “Banging Hip-Hop Inna Yardie Style” quickly brought L’Entourloop into the spotlight, along with their hundreds of shows performed all over Europe. The mysterious collective continues to bring together an ever-growing audience around the world, as proved by their hundreds of millions of plays on music platforms.
True lovers of vinyl and old cinema, in their perpetual quest for the ultimate sample, the insatiable diggers kept their fans waiting by first dropping the excellent DJ-Mix “Start From Scratch” in the summer of 2021, followed by a series of 3 official remixes, including the Reunion Island anthem “Li Sem”.
Another striking characteristic of L’Entourloop is the great ability of King James and Sir Johnny to gather incredible guests from around the world. Whether with Skarra Mucci and their now classic “Dreader Than Dread” or their excellent EP “Golden Nuggets” (2019), Capleton for the extravagant remix of “Burn Dem Down”, producer Panda Dub they collaborated with on “Le Bonheur” or French singer Biga Ranx for their hit “Push The Limits”, L’Entourloop has the gift of giving birth to collaborations that mark the spirits.
With no less than 32 guests from all over the world, MCs fling lyrics like guns like in a western movie and the new album is no exception!
On the reggae side, Jamaican legends such as Ken Boothe and Bounty Killer meet new generation stars such as Alborosie, Kabaka Pyramid, Queen Omega and Marcus Gad. On the hip-hop side Chali 2Na from legendary US group Jurassic 5, Swedish MC Promoe from Looptroop Rockers, US rapper Rêverie, the excellent JuJu Rogers, French beatmaker Degiheugi and the irresistible South African female rapper Dope St Jude all make appearances.
The UK vibe can also be felt with features from jungle and dancehall pioneers General Levy and Tippa Irie as well as heavyweights of the grime scene Flowdan, Lady Chann and Killa P. Fellow French artists are also in the spotlight with guests such as Big Red, O.B.F and Manudigital. To complete this amazing cast, L’Entourloop has once again called on the incomparable Troy Berkley from Bermuda and the talented trumpeter N’Zeng, formerly of Le Peuple de l’Herbe, to accompany the collective on the road alongwith a new addition – excellent Dutch rapper BlabberMouf, who has just joined the killer new live show.
L’Entourloop UK Tour 2024
05/10/2024- Liverpool (UK)- Hangar 34
06/10/2024- London (UK)- Village Underground – SOLD OUT
07/10/2024- London (UK)- Village Underground
08/10/2024- Bristol (UK)- Trinity Center- SOLD OUT
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