Kablammo!

Description

Blazing out of the blocks with two and half minutes of pure power pop, Ash made their traditional Ash Wednesday return with Cocoon, the first single from their forthcoming studio album Kablammo!.

Its Ash at their frenetic best says drummer Rick McMurray. A wall of guitars and a shot of adrenaline with a sweet melodic chaser. A clear statement of intent, Cocoon picked up immediate radio support from BBC 6 Music and XFM and served as a bold introduction to their forthcoming album.

Its been eight years since Twilight Of The Innocents, the album Ash vowed would be their last. The ensuing years saw the band embark on the ambitious AZ singles series and its accompanying A-Z tour taking them from Aldershot to Zennor. The decision to put the album format to one side allowed Ash to explore a different dynamic to their sound across 26 tracks released over a year. On Kablammo!, they set out to capture the live essence of Ash, the closest sonic predecessor being 2004s Meltdown, they say, with the songwriting of the Free All Angels singles.

Weve stripped away the electronic overtones of the A-Z series and made a streamlined blazing guitar record. On every song you can hear what makes this band tick, our beating (atomic) heart. Its a visceral expression of what has driven us since 1992. Passion, melody and Ash.

The title itself Kablammo! sums up the excitement Ash felt to be in a room together making new music. You can hear that on every song. This renewed enthusiasm for playing together is writ large over the albums 12 tracks, the in your face quality which has made Ash one of the UKs best -loved bands. Free and Moondust provide two of the albums most anthemic moments. In the pool of half remembered dreams, Tim Wheeler laments on Free. How long have I been submerged in sleep?, his soaring falsetto echoing above an impatient chug of guitars, a cry to cutting loose replete with an achingly emotive guitar solo.

Moondust captivates hearts with sweet pattering keys and the mournful grace of a string section, building to a mighty crescendo, Wheelers star -gazing broken heart lifted to the skies, When you come home, will you stay for good? Its not all sky-high calls and midnight falls, Shutdown takes us back to the trios roots. Its scrappy, teenage punk spirit sprinting hand in hand with a sweet 90s nostalgia and a three-line chorus destined to raise your pint into the air.

Elsewhere, Dispatch rides a college rock wave. Wah-oos and guitar dips that explode into a head-crashing power-chord shred, all the while bumping up to hooks so big were singing along before we know all the words. Weve finally bridged the gap between our live show and the recording the band say. Kablammo! is the proof.