DROWND has teamed up with Armalyte Records once again for the release of “Stay Away”, their eagerly anticipated second EP. Set for release on August 6th, the EP includes three songs: title track “Stay Away”, “Slipping”, and “Infidel.” Heavy on the synths and lyrically dark, the songs highlight the band’s diverse musicianship and their harsh, transgressive sound.
Frontman Joe Crudgington aimed to make this EP’s title track stand apart from “Sick Like You”, the previous EP’s title track, saying: “I wanted to do something a bit different […] in terms of having the track just crash in hard and heavy immediately – there’s a lot of heavy synth work on this track with a lot less guitar work, but it still packs weight. Lyrically it’s pretty dark and in a different vein to the previous EP, dealing more with despair, feeling suffocated by surroundings and situations as opposed to the more subversive/perverse lyrics [of Sick Like You]”. Together with its other two tracks, whose sound centers more around their guitar work and drumming rather than synths, the EP as a whole is heavy but has a well-rounded sound.
DROWND is based simultaneously in London and LA, with the duality of both cities’ environments and commitments serving as the basis for writing this EP. Crudgington had this to share about the creative process behind it: “This EP was written after living in LA for a period of time then kinda finishing it when I’d come back to London for other commitments. I guess the actual meaning (without even realising?!) behind the songs is that of a certain type of loneliness, isolation, yet also being suffocated by your environment. I mean, it’s the dream, to write music, live between LA and London right? It is, but it, like anything in life doesn’t come without its adverse sides. I mean, some of the falseness, the party scenes that you’re ‘supposed’ to be involved in, the people you’re ‘supposed’ to be seen knocking around with etc, etc… It can all wear thin real quick and leave you literally questioning anything to the point where you would literally chuck it all in within an instant and retreat to the mountains to herd goats for a living… But the drive and compulsion to write music is always there, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by some people and to have met a number of great people both in LA and London, so I don’t know what I’m whining about really… The future is bright, within reason, and this is only the start.”
You can keep up with DROWND on Facebook and Instagram, and don’t forget to watch Armalyte Records to hear the EP as soon as it’s released August 6th.
Premiering exclusively on Altvenger, we also have a special video for you to get you even more hyped up for this release!