Garage rock supergroup The Surfing Magazines have unveiled their long-awaited sophomore album Badgers of Wymeswold, out 22nd October.
Pushing their sound forward, Badgers of Wymeswold sees The Surfing Magazines utilise their garage rock ethic and have both drummer Dominic Brider and rhythm guitar player Charles Watson lead on vocals across multiple tracks. There is also a return of free form saxophone parts, eerie violins and piano, notably on tracks ‘Nostaw Boogie’ and ‘I’m Going Out Tonight To Play Some Pool’, one of six singles across the LP.
The other singles come in the form of irresistibly melancholic folk number ‘I Dreamed When I Was Young’, trademark garage rock jam ‘Sports Bar’, nostalgia-drenched six bar blues jam, ‘Pink Ice Cream’, jangly guitar-led ‘Ten Days Of Shiver’ and Bob Dylan-esque ‘Bonsai Tree’.
Meanwhile the title track portrays a child’s view of badgers in his village, when he was growing up. The album artwork was also made by Tattersall and depicts a collage of his referenced dreams. The extensive project showcases their characteristic sound at their brightest, from softer ballads such as ‘Poppies’ and ‘Silver Breasts’ through to surf guitar rock anthem ‘Locomotive Cheer’.
The Surfing Magazines playfully describe the project as the “greatest hits of music from Bill Monroe to The Ventures to The Stranglers to Guided by Voices,” insisting that it is “one of the greatest albums ever made” and “even better than Rod Stewart singing ‘The Great American Songbook’”.
The release precedes a headline show at London’s Rough Trade East on 16th December, while the group will also embark on a January tour that includes performances in Leeds, London, Cambridge and Brighton (full list of dates below).
Consisting of one half of Slow Club and two thirds of The Wave Pictures, The Surfing Magazines’ primary influences are Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and all the great surf guitar music of the 1960s. They burst onto the scene with their eponymous debut album in 2017, a lauded LP described by Record Collector Mag as “a vintage-yet-modern rock’n’roll classic”.
Badgers of Wymeswold is The Surfing Magazine’s biggest and most accomplished body of work to date.
Grab tickets for the Rough Trade show HERE.
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Tour Dates
2021
December
16th – London @ Rough Trade East
2022
JANUARY
14th – Glasgow @ CCA
15th – Edinburgh @ Sneaky Pete’s
16th – Newcastle @ Cluny 2
20th – Portsmouth @ Wedgewood Rooms
21st – Cambridge @ The Portland Arms
22nd – Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
28th – Nottingham @ Chameleon
29th – Brighton @ West Hill Hall
30th – Bristol @ The Exchange
FEBRUARY
3rd – Birmingham @ Hare and Hounds
4th – Manchester @ YES
5th – Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach
To find out more about The Surfing Magazines, go to:
- The Surfing Magazines
- Badgers of Wymeswold
- Moshi Moshi
- 22/10/21
- digital