NYC-based post-punk / alternative rock collective London Plane present their new single ‘Bright Black’, the title track and first offering to their forthcoming ‘Bright Black’ album, out June 17 via Declared Goods. This is a glimpse of brightness amidst the invasion of darkness, both internal and external, imminent and eventual.
“Bright Black’ is at once an anti-war song and a simple, hopeful sentiment or a little prayer to whoever is listening (the universe, the gods, you), if there is no life after death, indeed if it “goes black”, then let it at least go bright black,” says David Mosey.
London Plane is a juggernaut of a band, made up of David Mosey (guitar and vocals), Jessica Cole (vocals), Bryan Garbe (drums), Grant Parker (bass), Julian Tulip (synths) and Kristofer Widholm (guitar). Their roots trace back to 2014 backstage at a tribute show to the recently deceased Lou Reed, when Psychedelic Furs’ Joe McGinty introduced David to Jessica, who were both performing.
Their new collection of tracks are electrified, possessed, pulsing and relentless. The content was greatly informed by several internal tragedies faced by band members during its production, including the deaths of family members, along with the tumultuous political situation that saw the ascension of villains. Where the vocals let in some hope, the bass snarls like something Lemmy would be proud of, the drums rumble and hiss, and the serrated guitar preens as cold as a weapon of mass destruction.
Earlier, the six-piece released the single ‘Watch That Madman Go’, which is also highly relevant given current world events. A rebuke of propaganda, this targets the grand tradition of political dictatorship. Directed by Greg Vegas, the video features some of the 20th century’s most despised despots – from the Nazis to Ceaușescu.
London Plane also present the video for ‘Francesco (Italiano)’, a haunting goth-dance anthem that channels the original ‘Francesco’ single through a Latin prism. Equally inspired by a cloth-covered 1970s diary by an immigrant, found among personal belongings discarded on a New York curb and the hospitalization of Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy on the eve of his NYC performance, ‘Francesco’ spins the tale of Catholic Saint, stigmatist, levitator and mystic Padre Pio as a young man.
Following the success of their debut album ‘New York Howl’, released in 2018, London Plane methodically worked on new material in 2019 and early 2020. The result is ‘Bright Black’, an album packed with hope in the face of cultural, sociopolitical, and ecological devastation, screaming a passionate battle cry back to the pop music spectrum. In effect, a hook-filled avant-rock study in context and contradictions.
As of April 20, the single will be released digitally everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, where it is also an instant grat download upon ordering the full ‘Bright Black’ album.
-Official bio
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