Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 06/22/2024
photo by Steve Gullick
UK alternative rock band The Mysterines have eleased their sophomore album Afraid of Tomorrows via Fiction Records. They also announced their North American tour leading them to Riot Fest this September.
Formed in Liverpool, The Mysterines – frontwoman Lia Metcalfe, drummer Paul Crilly, bassist George Favager and guitarist Callum Thompson – have undergone a radical transformation over the past few years. Fresh with new purpose and reinvigorated from songwriting sessions while secluded away in the countryside (in between playing to 60,000-strong crowds while on tour with the Arctic Monkeys), the band is now releasing the best music of their career.
Recorded and produced by Grammy Award winning producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen) in LA, Afraid of Tomorrows is a deeper and darker foray into The Mysterines’ psyche than its predecessor, and reflects the maturity and growth of the band. “Afraid of Tomorrows is a mirror where you find you’re nothing more than a formless being, one made from celestial constellations - of traumas, of the old and new, mistakes, addiction, fear and happiness, loneliness, but ultimately a desire for life and the fight to keep living. It’s a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded”, says Lia.
Recently, The Mysterines released the surprise single and video “The Last Dance.” Bolstered by a blistering guitar solo and thunderous drum beats, “The Last Dance” details finding solace in something that is not real. Frontwoman Lia’s imagination dances wildly through the track, as it tells the tale of a person who falls in love with a porcelain mannequin and longs to dance with them.
Lia comments on the song: “I suppose it’s an analogy for what loneliness can do to you. Once you’ve exhausted all the dark alleyways of drugs and alcohol, you end up reaching for something to connect to that isn’t real.”
The Mysterines are set to embark on their biggest headline tour to date this fall across Europe and North America. The band will play a string of exciting shows this summer, including at Crystal Palace Park as special guests to Bloc Party for their huge 20th anniversary show on July 7, and numerous festivals including Riot Fest in Chicago. North American tour dates, including New York and LA, are on sale now — all tour info available here.
Starting again is never easy. It takes guts, determination and force of will to move out of the shadows of yesterday. But this is precisely what British rock band The Mysterines have done. Their ferocious new album, Afraid of Tomorrows, out now via Fiction Records, burns the past to the ground and builds something brand new out of the rubble.
“We can feel the difference with this album,” Metcalfe says. “These songs show how far we’ve come. We’ve grown up a lot.”
It’s certainly a far cry from the furious, thrashing energy of their critically acclaimed Top 10 debut, Reeling, which was championed by titles including The Independent, NME, DIY, Spin and The Line of Best Fit. Produced by GRAMMY-winner Catherine Marks (Boygenius, Wolf Alice), the 2022 record thrived on a very literal kind of teenage angst, at the same time drawing on Metcalfe’s imagination for its narrative story-telling.
The lived experience in Afraid of Tomorrows shines through, in the skill of the band’s playing, their confidence, and the wary/weary tone of Metcalfe’s delivery. The band spent a month recording the album with John Congleton – the GRAMMY Award-winning artist, producer, mixer and engineer – at his brand new studio in LA.
Afraid of Tomorrows is the perfect frame for Metcalfe’s extraordinary voice. Like no one else on the British rock scene, she can switch suddenly from a lascivious purr to a hair-raising yowl, the love-child of Courtney Love and Karen O.Perhaps the most impressive part of the record is how much it demonstrates the band’s colossal ambition. “I think it’s easy to look back and feel judgmental about your younger self, but we’re past that now,” Metcalfe says. “We feel like we know who we are as a band.” And with an album like this, they’re ready to take on the world.
UPCOMING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
September 10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
September 11- Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit
September 13 - Colorado Springs, CO - Vultures
September 15 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
September 17 - Toronto, ON - The Cave
September 19 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
September 22 - Chicago, IL - Riot Fest
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