Photo: Paul Brooking
Over the last twelve months, London-based producer Paul Brooking and vocalist Matt Bond quickly cemented themselves as one of the more exciting names emerging from the capital. Their distinctive takes on 'My Generation', 'Sunshine Of Your Love', and 'Green Onions' saw them as a wildly inventive pairing, brimming with fresh and alluring ideas. But now look to bring that expressive direction to fruition as they drop their eagerly-awaited debut album 'Outside The Glasshouse'.
Much like the broad and varied tracks they covered in their infancy, 'Outside The Glasshouse' sees them expose themselves to a wide range of ideas and influences. Largely honing a modern day approach to the Britpop sound that sees Supergrass and Blur threaded into their inspirations, this new collection makes for a wonderfully innovative listen that spurs creative vision throughout.
Speaking about the release, the pair's Paul Brooking added, “Writing and recording the album became a cathartic process, making me happier and more confident. I researched the often ridiculed male 'mid-life crisis', and found that this under-researched mental health condition had links to middle aged men taking their own lives. I spoke to as many men as I could and wrote the album around the stories they told me, creating the character of Jack and his struggles, his suicidal condition and his eventual recovery”.
Released fresh off the back of an award-winning short film of the same name, which was written and directed by Brooking who has a background in directing videos for artists such as Plan B, Viola Beach and Family Jools. The short has achieved widespread critical acclaim, winning multiple awards including Cannes Shorts, Overcome Festival, and the London Independent Film Festival, and acts as a companion piece to the album, further exploring its themes of masculine alienation and isolation in the modern world, and the all-too-common issues men of a certain age silently struggle with.
All profits from the album sales will go to the suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club, which provides a place for men to come together in a safe environment to talk about their issues.