Irish post-rock group And So I Watch You From Afar have released 'North Coast Megafauna', the latest single from their upcoming seventh album, 'Megafauna', which will be released on August 9, 2024 via Pelagic Records. Berlin.
A tribute to the two places the collective calls home, their beloved Portrush on the north coast of Ireland and the beating heart that is Belfast; 'Megafauna' is a headstrong exploration and heartfelt appreciation with all the insight, intimacy and humor of four firm friends approaching their 20th year as a band and a nod to the Irish roots that simultaneously ground them and propel them forward.
Like so many other bands and artists during the pandemic, ASIWYFA found themselves suddenly at a standstill, with any plans outside their immediate vicinity put on hold indefinitely. However, where other acts might have failed, ASIWYFA took solace in their community bond and, as soon as they could, began writing a record that quickly became a love letter to the communities they call home.
The intention behind 'Megafauna' is clear from the beginning. Two guitars, bass and drums, all recorded in a week, come to effervescent life in an endorphin rush of creative collaboration and togetherness after the physical and psychological desert of isolation.
The similarly named opener, 'North Coast Megafauna', serves as a fitting anthem for the record and, indeed, for a revitalized band as well. Proudly wearing its noisy math-rock, free jazz and experimental indie melting pot influences on its sleeves, 'North Coast Megafauna' is an eclectic, carefree confrontation of ASIWYFA's joyfully discordant collection of musical influences and cultural inspirations.
Watch the 'North Coast Megafauna' video – BELOW:
'Megafauna' will be the band's first full-length release since 2022's critically acclaimed 'Jettison', an ambitious multimedia ensemble piece packed with experimentation and collaboration. Jokingly referring to 'Jettison' as their mature record, the band framed the songwriting of 'Megafauna' around their long-standing mantra of 'DO THE SCARY THING', which sees ASIWYFA constantly hurtling towards novelty, progress, evolution and the unknown. . While the new record is for ASIWYFA to adopt a more familiar and traditional form; In this post-'Jettison', post-pandemic world, 'Megafauna' is a deafening, defiant statement of intent from the band's driving core: a wake-up call to the communities that shape them, a resplendent celebration of togetherness above separation.
And this is how Rory Friers looks at you from afar in 'North Coast Megafauna':
“One of our favorite songs on the album. A love letter to the North Coast, to our friends there, to the energy, to the cold days skating, to the long summers at the sea, to our beloved music venue, to the proximity of everything. “It has the heart of the earth there with the weight of the North Atlantic”
And so I look at you from afar headlines the Pelagic Fest in Maastricht, NL, on August 24-25, 2024.
Find more information and tickets here.
And So I Watch You From Afar will be touring the UK in December:
DEC 13 | New Century Hall, Manchester
DEC 14 | Marble Factory, Bristol
DEC 15 | Brixton Electric, London
DEC 16 | 02 Institute, Birmingham
DEC 17 | St Luke's, Glasgow,
DEC 18 | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
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