London’s jagged garage-rockers, BERRIES (Holly Carter – lead vocals & guitar, Lauren Cooper – bass, and Lexi Clark – drums) are poised to make a bold statement with the release of their self-titled second album on October 18th via the Xtra Mile Recordings label.
‘BERRIES’ delivers a raw and unflinching reflection on the band’s personal experiences, exploring the complexities of mental health and personal challenges. Boldly exploring the murkiest corners of the mind, the band have written a series of songs that harness strength from vulnerability, using their music as a means to combat the overwhelming burden of intrusive thoughts and internal conflict.
According to the band, this album is about “battling intrusive thoughts and finding contentment in your day, however big or small those moments are. It’s a journey to finding your own space and being comfortable in it. We haven’t held back with this album – it’s raw, honest, and a true reflection of BERRIES.”
By enlisting the expertise of production legend Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, Maxïmo Park, Smashing Pumpkins, and Placebo) to take the helm on mixing duties, listeners are guaranteed to notice a palpable burst of sonic vitality and energy in this bold new iteration of BERRIES.
The band is renowned for its musical versatility and range, but BERRIES 2.0 marks a significant leap forward in terms of creative output. The album showcases the group’s ability to experiment with diverse musical styles, including shapeshifting math-rock structures, sweeping nods to epic post-rock, shimmering power-pop melodies, and even tender, unadorned acoustic moments; all of which blend together to create a dynamic, genre-blurring sonic journey that never ceass to surprise and captivate.
Reflecting on making the new album and sonic choices, the band added, “We really pushed ourselves creatively and out of our comfort zone, especially with the acoustic track and working with mixing engineer Adrian Bushby. We’re super proud of what we’ve written and created.”
Following performances alongside punk and rock icons such as The Subways, Skinny Lister, Feeder, Sleeper, and the Newcastle group The Pale White, BERRIES are set to launch their own eight-date headline tour during October and November after testing out new material in said recent shows.
In anticipation of the album’s release, CinemaChord’s Howard Gorman caught up with Carter to discuss how they intentionally drew from darker sources of inspiration to craft songs exploring uncertainty and insecurity, the profound impact of supporting established acts like Feeder, Sleeper, and The Subways on tour, which provided invaluable lessons, and how the reception of their debut album informed their approach to recording their follow-up.
EPONYMOUS NEW ALBUM: ‘BERRIES’ OUT 18 OCTOBER, VIA XTRA MILE RECORDINGS – PRE-SAVE HERE
Fans can catch the band performing new material and more at the following fixtures (tickets available here):
Keep up to date with all things BERRIES online:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube
Photo credit: Derek Bremner
