Boss Keloid Set June 4 Release for Family the Smiling Thrush; “Gentle Clovis” Streaming
The release details and unveiling of the first single from the upcoming Boss Keloid album, Family the Smiling Thrush — let alone the bevvy of preorder links — feels like an occasion worth marking, even if I’m a few days late on it. June 4 it’s out, as their debut on Ripple Music, fifth album overall (I had it as fourth previously) and the follow-up to 2018’s Melted on the Inch (review here). So be it. I haven’t even had a second to sit with the album — Boss Keloid require attention in the listening, or at very least they’re best enjoyed when given their due — or maybe I’m just nervous it’ll be really good? You ever feel that way? Like, oh no, what if this rules?
Sometimes it’s hard being a people.
Anyway, their video for the lead single “Gentle Clovis” — Clovis united the Frank tribes, which does not strike me as being an especially gentle process, but fair enough — is at the bottom of this post and there are UK tour dates as well because we all like a bit of optimism in our day.
So here goes:
Boss Keloid announce new album; release video for first single
New album Family The Smiling Thrush arrives June 4th via Ripple Music
First single ‘Gentle Clovis’ streaming now
British heavy prog-psych band Boss Keloid are back with their new LP Family The Smiling Thrush, to be released worldwide 4th June via Ripple Music. The band have also released their uplifting first single ‘Gentle Clovis’.
Pre-order the album here:
WW: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/family-the-smiling-thrush
UK/EU: https://en.ripple.spkr.media/ripple-music/boss-keloid-family-the-smiling-thrush.html
UK/EU Vinyl – https://www.plastichead.com/item.aspx?catno=RIPLP144
UK/EU CD – https://www.plastichead.com/item.aspx?catno=RIPCD158
Vocalist Alex Hurst comments on the first single: “Gentle Clovis is is all about staying true to your roots and those parts of you which make you individual, whilst abandoning your ego when the greater good can benefit. It’s a song about family, friends and letting your strengths individually or as part of a collective flourish and carry you.”
Perhaps their most ambitious album yet, Family The Smiling Thrush demonstrates Boss Keloid’s biggest transformation to date. Entering a new realm which leans more towards the soaring majesty of monumental prog-rock whilst still embracing their metal edge, the album is a true masterclass in versatility. Seven towering tracks of emotional energy, psychedelic grooves and riff-oriented guitar work combine with the signature melodic yet passionate style that vocalist Alex Hurst has been tweaking and perfecting since their debut, Angular Beef Lesson, in 2010.
Produced and mastered by Chris Fielding at the legendary Foel Studios in Wales, the band entered the studio with a focus on gaining a clearer, more open sounding recording than ever before. The end result is a typically Boss Keloid gargantuan soundscape, littered with spacious jams and sticky grooves which twist and turn in euphonic harmony. Family The Smiling Thrush is their most attention-grabbing effort to date and only further cements their status as one of this era’s most interesting and vital bands.
Lyrically throughout Family The Smiling Thrush Boss Keloid explore the notion of the collective being greater than the individual, embracing all flaws and the strengths of each. Each song burrows deeply into areas such as community, communication, family, personal growth, mindfulness and positive inner reflection, inviting the listener to not only join but truly revel in the journey of being alive.
Family The Smiling Thrush track-list
1: Orang of Noyn
2: Gentle Clovis
3: Hats the Mandrill
4: Smiling Thrush
5: Cecil Succulent
6: Grendle
7: Flatt Controller
Dates of Boss Keloid’s 2021 tour as follows:
Aug 19 – Arctangent 2021, UK
Nov 6- Damnation Festival 2021, Leeds UK
Nov 18 – Headline Tour, The Anvil , Bournemouth, UK
Nov 19 – Headline Tour, Boston Music Rooms , London, UK
Nov 20 – Headline Tour, The Exchange, Bristol, UK
Nov 21- Headline Tour, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
Nov 22 – Headline Tour, The Chameleon, Nottingham, UK
Nov 23 – Headline Tour, Dead Wax, Birmingham, UK
Nov 24 – Headline Tour, The Underground, Stoke, UK
Nov 25 – Headline Tour, Mulberry Bar & Venue, Sheffield, UK
Nov 26 – Headline Tour, Ivory Blacks, Glasgow, UK
Nov 27 – Headline Tour, Opium, Edinburgh, UK
Nov 28 – Headline Tour, Breadshed, Manchester, UK
Boss Keloid are:
Paul Swarbrick | Guitar
Alex Hurst | Vocals and Guitar
Ste Arands | Drums
Liam Pendlebury-Green | Bass
You can watch live videos from their Bloodstock Festival set and the full live session of their 2018 album Melted On The Inch, plus stream the band’s entire discography here: https://linktr.ee/bosskeloid
https://www.facebook.com/bosskeloidband
https://twitter.com/bosskeloid
http://www.bosskeloid.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/
