Firestations - International Dust out now!

 

London art-pop band Firestations' fifth album International Dust is out now - Order on limited-edition vinyl and CD: lostmap.com/products/firestations-international-dust   - Autumn UK tour dates announced (scroll down for full list) “Melancholy tempered by shimmering shoegaze stylings... a wistful delight”  – Electronic Sound

After a journey into stripped back alt-folk territory on last year’s Many White Horses, Firestations' fifth album International Dust marks a return to the eclectic London art-pop ensemble's full five-piece band format. Out now on limited-edition vinyl and CD and via streaming platforms, it represents another significant step up for a consistently creative band who have re-invented themselves yet again, with an album that feels bigger and fuller at surface level than ever before, yet with deeper, even more thought-provoking foundations lurking beneath. To mark its release, Firestations will tour the UK this autumn – scroll all the way down for a full list of dates below.   Firestations are Mike Cranny (vocals, guitar), Laura Copsey (vocals, keys, flute, flugelhorn), Martin Thompson (guitar, synths, piano), Tom Hargreaves (drums, percussion) and Neil Walsh (bass, viola, vocals). Their music spans genres from shoegaze to alt-pop and harmony-driven psychedelia. The nine tracks on International Dust encompass an eclectic and intuitive mix of dream-pop, alt-country and hypnotic cyclical numbers, shaped collectively by the band as a unit through various twists and turns at rehearsal sessions during 2024. The album was recorded live at Otterhead Studios in early 2025 (engineered by Ellis Powell-Bevan and Oscar Ball), before being mixed and mastered by James Trevascus (Invada, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Young Fathers). This longer gestation period, combined with having someone outside the band on production duties, “has definitely made for a more expansive and immersive listen,” reckons Mike, “with room for everything to find its place. The musical arrangements this time round also contribute to the immersive feel by exploring the depth of musicianship in the band.”   It's title is a reference to the inevitable passing of time and the absurdity of human constructs, created as if permanence was a thing, combined with a questioning of boundaries both imagined and real (as well as being a reference to Silver Jew’s ‘American Water’: try new INTERNATIONAL DUST™!). The album artwork was inspired by a bloated, overgrown maze Laura saw on Reddit several years ago. “The image stayed with me and felt symbolically relevant somehow to the album’s underlying political themes,” she says. The cover was created using Play-Doh, a scanner, and a till receipt printer, with icons made by the band working together in Laura’s studio.   “We had a great time creating these songs together,” says Mike. “When I listen, I’m transported back to the initial rehearsal sessions, perhaps after a couple of beers, when everyone is in, or at least approaching, the same zone. Playing the outro to ‘Hidden Face’ for fifteen minutes for example, getting totally lost in it, or playing ‘Sleeping on the Sidelines’ at quiet, shivery volumes. I feel like quite a lot of that ‘band in a room’ spirit has made it into the finished songs. We’ve all been doing this music thing for some time now, but we all still truly love it, and we want to give something emotionally engaging and something that adds in some small way to the creative conversation that keeps our world turning.”   International Dust track listing:   1. Hidden Face 2. An Apparition 3. International Dust 4. Sleeping on the Sidelines 5. Given Power 6. Movement of a Wheel 7. Beginners 8. This Imaginary Line 9. All the Angles   Firestations live:   Fri, Oct 16 @ Dash The Henge Records, LONDON [release day in-store; International Dust played in full] Sat, Oct 31 @ Eagle Inn, SALFORD  Sun, Nov 1 @ The Engine Room, NORTH SHIELDS Tue, Nov 3 @ The Lanes, BRISTOL Wed, Nov 4 @ The Library Pub, OXFORD Thu, Nov 5 @ The Holloway, NORWICH Fri, Nov 6 @ The Waiting Room, LONDON (w/ Dominie Hooper) Thu, Nov 12 @ Where Else?, MARGATE Fri, Nov 27 @ Alphabet, BRIGHTON (w/ Jetstream Pony)   linktr.ee/firestations

Bad Friday / Love Letters / Firestations

Not sure how this is the first blog post of the year but that's where we're at. 

Our Bad Friday all-dayer has been announced and this year features an incredible mix of bands from Bristol, Belfast, Brighton, Liverpool, Cambridge and Hastings - details below, be a part of it! 

I also played some viola on James Pickering's new band Love Letters' new EP which is out now! It's full of life.

Firestations have a new album on the way but it's not the album that we recorded at Otterhead in January it's actually a Mike solo record, something he craftily crafted on his own whilst away in Scotland last Summer and it was made with half broken instruments and field recordings and is quite a beautiful thing. 

Bad Friday is a bbq all-dayer featuring eight electrifying bands - from Belfast's garage punk trio Jock, channeling the energy of riot grrrl icons, to the feminist garage-rock of The Baby Seals, and the math-rock-made-sexy sounds of Brighton's SLAG. Also joining the bill are the alt-rock energy of alright (okay), the raucous alt-rock of Bristol’s Deadheading, the gothic darkwave pop of Border Widow (featuring ex-members of Big Joanie), the powerful storytelling of Dogviolet, and the fuzzy, nostalgic indie rock of woon.

18 April, Windmill Brixton

Dice or WeGotTickets

#listeningto new music playlist

Here's our new music playlist, give it a listen and a like/follow. Thanks.

Ice Baths & Scrounge at Folklore

 Tickets 👉 bit.ly/sonictonictickets 👈

 

Fuzzy Lights & Beija Flo at Folklore

 

Our next Sonic Tonic gig is at Folklore, a new venue for us and it's one of those venues you can get lost in, not only because its a bit of a jungle inside. Headlining is Cambridge alt-folk band Fuzzy Lights who are currently touring acclaimed new album Burials and support comes from the marvellous Beija Flo, all the way from Birkenhead. It's sure to be a wonderful night.  

 TICKETS HERE

Balcony Online Festival, 18th July

Balcony festival is back on the 18th July in aid of Carers UK and the deft delights of Gris-de-lin will be playing our stage. 

Line-up (so far):

Vincent Bugozi - Benumu Stage
Nervous Twitch - Reckless Yes Stage
Mouse - LOUD WOMEN Stage
Gris-de-Lin - Sonic Tonic Stage
+ Many more to be announced soon

Donate to Carers UK: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/balconyfestival7

Watch from 6pm on Saturday 18th July at: https://tinyurl.com/balcony7

Sonic Tonic presents the Blank Tapes, Captain Suun and WAHL, 16 Dec, Brixton Windmill

Join us for the last Sonic Tonic show of the year next week featuring the gorgeous tones of  Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist Matt Adams (Blank Tapes) 

Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something single launch

Tonight is Sonic Tonic's 10th show and it's the single launch for Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something, it's the fourth time we've put them on because they're that good. Come along!

BAD FRIDAY FESTIVAL

Sonic Tonic presents at Rye Wax

Sonic Tonic proudly presents Wesley Fuller with support from Chemtrails and Protection Spells, The Windmill 29/11

Sonic Tonic proudly presents... Krush Puppies single launch at Brixton Windmill, 26/7

Sonic Tonic proudly presents... Julia Meijer, Grimm Grimm and Yvonne Hercules at Off the Cuff 23 Aug

Sonic Tonic presents Girlhood with support from Stats and Gravegonzo.

Bad Friday is almost apon us.

Perhaps the longest running annual event in London is due to return next Friday, Bad Friday!

Come one and all.