The Joy Of The Return The Slow Readers Club

• 1 All I Hear 03:22
• 2 Something Missing 02:58
• 3 Problem Child 02:59
• 4 Jericho 02:59
• 5 No Surprise 03:30
• 6 Paris 03:13
• 7 Killing Me 03:27
• 8 All The Idols 03:17
• 9 Every Word 03:48
• 10 Zero Hour 02:47
• 11 The Wait 03:24
• Total Runtime 35:44

Info for The Joy Of The Return

Manchester’s The Slow Readers Club return with their fourth album, The Joy Of The Return. Opening to an energetic blend of driving drums and infectious guitar lines, the opening track builds through evocative verses and anthemic choruses, imbued with their idiosyncratic brand of insightful and confronting lyricism and set against relentlessly danceable and energy-provoking instrumentation. “‘All I Hear’ is about a lack of agency and an inability to affect change. That there’s something happening, and you have no choice but to go along with it,” explains singer Aaron Starkie.

Throughout the album, the band explore a vast swathe of sonic territory, from the passionately delivered ‘All The Idols’, to the poppier tones of ‘Jericho’ that power through with bright indie guitar lines and ethereally melodic choruses. Recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and produced by long-standing collaborator Phil Bulleyment, The Joy Of The Return marks a significant change in the band’s process, with their extensive touring allowing them time to write and develop tracks and arrangements through soundchecks and back-of-van jams.

“I think it’s definitely our most interesting and accomplished record musically,” says singer Aaron Starkie. “Lyrically the album covers love, alienation, the rise of right wing populism and comments on algorithm driven propaganda. And as always, I try to deliver those lyrics with uplifting melody.”

The dark power-pop that defined their previous releases holds a strong influence, with the brooding ‘No Surprise’ providing a powerful dose of evocative lyricism amid immersive soundscapes, while the unsettling ‘Paris’ is an undulating exploration of observational songwriting and eclectic musicality The swelling, arena-sized ‘Zero Hour’ displays the enormity of The Slow Readers Club sound and sets the precedent for their incredibly exciting future, while ‘The Wait’ closes the album with a beautifully absorptive combination of atmospheric synths flipping the pace of the record on its head to intoxicating effect.

The Slow Readers Club

The Slow Readers Club
ended 2018 with Sold Out shows at 02 Apollo Manchester, London Scala and Glasgow School of Art.

It was the end of a stellar year for the band which included a top 20 album, festival appearances at Kendal Calling, Liverpool Sound City, Beautiful Days, Head for the Hills (Headline), Neighbourhood Festival, Reeperbahn Festival (Germany), Kaltern Pop Festival (Italy), Haldern Pop (Germany). The band also flew out to China to play two shows in (Beijing / Hangzhou).

All four singles from 'Build A Tower' featured on BBC 6Music, Radio X, XS Manchester and BBC Introducing in Manchester. The band also recorded a live session for John Kennedy (Radio X) in July 2018.

In 2019 the band head out on a 32 date spring tour, their first at full time musicians.

"Their sound is timeless and classic, so big and anthemic. Most of their songs are instant anthems, you can see them playing stadiums in the future" John Kennedy, Radio X

"Alongside the likes of Cabbage and Blossoms, The Slow Readers Club are currently one of the most exciting sounds coming out of our fair city" Manchester Evening News

"The Slow Readers Club are quite simply too glorious to be kept a secret; see them, be seduced and then pass the pleasure on." Louderthanwar

This album contains no booklet.