In anticipation of their forthcoming EP ‘If It Wasn’t For My Friends, Things Could Be Different’ (out 15 Sep) and a UK tour this autumn, Birmingham dream-pop quartet JAWS have today shared a brand new single ‘Are My Friends Alright?’
Marking a new departure for the band, ‘Are My Friends Alright?’ sees JAWS combine fresh, feel-good guitar melodies with fuzzier moments of introspection, grappling with both the gratitude and guilt that close friendships often engender.
Commenting on the new track, frontman Connor Schofield said, “I think I wrote this song just before Christmas. In the second half of last year I came out of a long-term relationship and this was kind of a response to everyone that looked out for me during that time, as well as me realising that I had to be there for my friends more than I had been. It’s just a general reminder that we’d all be f***ed without our friends, so we need to check in on them.”
Embracing evolution with fervour, the new track sees the band exploring a slightly more DIY approach than fans are used to. Cultivating a blissed-out blend of dazey dream-pop edged with a luminous twist that feels as familiar as an old friend, yet refreshingly new, Schofield went on to explain, “The whole process of making this single and the EP has been totally different to anything we’ve done before in that itself-produced. I’m lucky enough to have a room at 123 Studios in Peckham, which led to producer Brett Shaw helping us out to get a great drum sound before I finished the record off in my own space. It was a challenge, but we’re super proud of what we’ve been able to create.”
This, the first taste of new music from JAWS in over four years, is the lead single from the band’s forthcoming EP ‘If It Wasn’t For My Friends, Things Could Be Different’. Self-produced by Schofield, working in collaboration with Brett Shaw (Foals, Florence and the Machine), the band’s latest extended release was mixed and mastered by Grammy nominees Mikko Gordon and Robin Schmidt respectively.
Commenting on what we can expect from the new EP, the band said, “Since our last tour — where we all caught Covid and ended up isolating for Christmas! — JAWS have been working on a lot of new music. Choosing to go a bit more DIY than previously and putting Connor’s lockdown MA in Commercial Music Production to good use, this project is entirely self-produced and afforded us the opportunity to really capture our sound.”
To support the EP release, JAWS will take to the road for a seven-date UK tour this Autumn, kicking things off in Newcastle on 25 September before heading to the following venues.
JAWS UK TOUR 2023
SEPTEMBER
25 NEWCASTLE The Cluny
26 GLASGOW King Tuts
27 MANCHESTER Club Academy
29 LONDON The Garage
30 BIRMINGHAM The Crossing
OCTOBER
02 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
03 BRISTOL Thekla
You can stream ‘Are My Friends Alright” on all platforms here and we’ll leave you with the video (filmed and directed by Joe Vozza and Jacob Welsh) below.
