HOWLING BELLS 

NEW TRACK 'MELBOURNE' OUT NOW

WATCH VIDEO 

UK IN-STORE TOUR IN FEBRUARY + UK TOUR IN MARCH AND APRIL

NEW ALBUM 'STRANGE LIFE' OUT 13 FEBRUARY VIA NUDE RECORDS

THE FIRST IN OVER 12 YEARS

“[A] narcotic mix of dream pop and gnarly indie guitar riffs. Their sound has not dated, nor has the vision dimmed. From the sonic maelstrom of "Sacred Land" to the swelling harmonies of "Angel", there's darkness and sunlight here and every shade in between." Uncut

"They have never been a band to chase trends and that’s what makes their return feel so timeless" Clash

“It’s classic Howling Bells: moody, atmospheric yet uplifting” Under The Radar Magazine

UK-based Australian trio Howling Bells has just released their latest single 'Melbourne', marking the final release before the arrival of 'Strange Life', their first album in over 12 years, on 13th February.

Juanita explains: "Melbourne is a song about deep yearning and ultimately grief. It explores a unique inner conflict many of us feel when we leave our homes and families to start anew somewhere else. This aching can be especially intense when we’re faced with something traumatic and all we want is the safety and warm embrace of the familiar. I experienced a heightened version of this when I returned to Melbourne a few years ago to play some shows, having not been back for a while. It felt slightly surreal and tragic being there without any family to share this with, as they had also left Australia over the years. Then, within 24 hours of touchdown, I got a call from a hospital in England telling me that my father, who was ill, had taken a turn for the worse, and so I had to pack up and return to the UK before I’d even played a show. It was brutal. I felt a thousand things that day, from the physical weight of having to lug around 2 huge suitcases full of merch I was planning to unload, to sitting alone in tears at the airport in Singapore during the layover. All these experiences left me with a deep well of sadness and a longing to return to my homeland to find what it is I’d now lost forever. This is something I carry around with me every day. All it takes is the glimmer of the sun at a certain time of day, or the occasional scent of an eucalyptus tree, or the sharp twinge of nostalgia when I hear the melody of a particular song, to remind me of the sadness and beauty that is now my Australia".

LISTEN TO 'MELBOURNE' HERE

WATCH 'MELBOURNE' VIDEO HERE

The band has recently shared their comeback single 'Unbroken', a brooding yet soaring anthem, 'Heavy Lifting', a song featuring loose-limbed drums and bluesy intonation and 'Chimera', a track about hope and relinquishing control. 

FEBRUARY UK IN-STORE SHOWS

Friday 13th February – Rough Trade Denmark Street - TICKETS

Saturday 14th February – Crash, Leeds - TICKETS

Sunday 15th February – Jacaranda, Liverpool - TICKETS

Monday 16th February – Truck, Oxford - TICKETS

Tuesday 17th February – Banquet, Kingston - TICKETS

Wednesday 18th February – Pie & Vinyl, Southsea (daytime) - TICKETS

+ Vinilo, Southampton (evening) - TICKETS

Thursday 19th February – Gatefield Sounds, Whitstable - TICKETS

MARCH/APRIL UK TOUR 

Pre-sale tickets below - Tickets go on general sale on 9th December at 10 AM 

Thursday 12 March - Think Tank - Newcastle - TICKETS

Friday 13 March - King Tuts - Glasgow - TICKETS

Saturday 14 March - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds - TICKETS

Sunday 15 March - Deaf Institute - Manchester - TICKETS

Thursday 19 March - Bodega - Nottingham - TICKETS

Friday 20 March - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff - TICKETS

Sunday 22 March - Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth - TICKETS

Tuesday 24 March - Oslo - London - TICKETS

Thursday 26 March - Fleece - Bristol - TICKETS

Friday 27 March - The Sugarmill - Stoke - TICKETS

Saturday 28 March - Hallamshire Hotel - Sheffield - TICKETS

Sunday 29 March - The Waterfront Studio - Norwich - TICKETS

Thursday 23 April - Alphabet - Brighton - TICKETS

Friday 24 April - Dead Wax - Birmingham - TICKETS 

Since their beginnings, breaking through with their acclaimed self-titled debut back in 2006 amidst a landscape of scrappy British indie and skinny-jeaned male dominance, the Australian trio - vocalist/guitarist Juanita Stein, her brother and guitarist Joel Stein and drummer Glenn Moule - have been something of an anomaly. They might have moved to the other side of the world in pursuit of the dreams that soon became a reality, playing at an NME Tour and then in stadiums supporting Coldplay whilst whipping up acclaim from the most credible ends of the music press. They may have seen various members come and go, but Howling Bells’ hypnotic indie rock always stood apart from the pack and was very much a reflection of their unbreakable union. Influenced by the likes of Tom Waits and Sonic Youth, as well as Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, and Björk, their recipe created a heady, immersive stew - equal parts sepia-toned romance and gritty rock 'n' roll thrills.

‘Strange Life’ is both a vibrant document of and an exploratory testament to this alchemical magic. An album that harnesses the unique musical perspective that pricked up the music world’s ears back in their beginnings, but transposes it onto a lifetime’s more experience, ‘Strange Life’ is both familiar and new; a record that will unfurl like an old friend to long term fans whilst speaking in a language that only hard-won experience and a few more trips around the sun can understand. It is, suggests Juanita, a record about experience and wisdom. “If you're not able to acknowledge the mistakes and the pain and make beautiful music out of it, then they're left festering inside of you,” she says. “And I don't ever want that to happen.”

The band’s first album since 2014's ‘Heartstrings’, 'Strange Life' was recorded with Howling Bells’ long-time friend and collaborator, producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow) at his Agricultural Audio Studios. 

WATCH 'UNBROKEN' VIDEO HERE

WATCH 'HEAVY LIFTING' VIDEO HERE

WATCH 'CHIMERA' VIDEO HERE

PRE-ORDER 'STRANGE LIFE' HERE

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