The Mysterines Burn Their Past to the Ground on Sophomore Album 'Afraid of Tomorrows'
Photo Credit: Steve Gullick
UK alternative rock band The Mysterines have released their sophomore album Afraid of Tomorrows and whirring new third single The Last Dance via Fiction Records. They have also announced their North American tour leading them to Riot Fest this September.
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.”
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.
Afraid of Tomorrows Track List:
1. The Last Dance
2. Stray
3. Another Another Another
4. Tired Animal
5. Jesse You're A Superstar
6. Hawkmoon
7. Sink Ya Teeth
8. Junkyard Angel
9. Goodbye Sunshine
10. Inside A Matchbox
11. So Long
12. Afraid of Tomorrows
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, will go on sale today at 12pm ET — all tour info available here.
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 are now about to release 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.
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 will go on sale this Friday at 12pm ET — all tour info available here.
ABOUT THE MYSTERINES:
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.
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 are now about to release the best music of their career. “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.
Photo Credit: Steve Gullick
