Acclaimed Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks have announced their much anticipated brand new album “Enjoy the View”, to be released on September 10th, 2021, via Big Scary Monsters.
Along with the announcement they share single “Fat Chance”, which follows on from previous new single “If It Happens”, released via 7" this month. The new tracks signify a change in musical direction for the band, with “Fat Chance” an ode to overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds. Watch the video for “Fat Chance” below.
Lead singer Adam Thompson explains: “We started properly writing this album at the end of March 2020 when we realised that everything was going to be shut down. We had a US tour lined up in May but obviously had to cancel. So from March to June, we sent each other ideas remotely and collaborated that way. I was so glad we had a project to focus on when proper lockdown hit. When we were able to get into our practice space in July, we were finally able to jam and write more like we normally do. This song came out of those sessions pretty early on”.
Longtime fans of We Were Promised Jetpacks alongside music critics, often cite the band’s flair for writing infectious pop songs encased within grandiose guitar driven rock soundscapes, yet new single “Fat Chance” offers a change of pace and a glimpse into what to expect from the forthcoming album. With tightly packed drums and cleverly woven guitar arrangements, the band prioritise the track’s melodic core with effortless dexterity.
“I was just messing about on guitar in our studio and got the verse chords and as soon as the other guys joined in, we had a song! We can sometimes spend weeks and months and years trying to get the right parts together but this one flowed. I finished the pre-chorus and chorus that day and sent the demo to the rest of the band and we were excited about it straight away”, Thompson said.
Pre-order “Enjoy the View” here.
Tracklist:
1. Not Me Anymore
2. Fat Chance
3. All That Glittered
4. Don’t Hold Your Breath for Too Long
5. What I Know Now
6. If It Happens
7. I Wish You Well
8. Blood, Sweat, Tears
9. Nothing Ever Changes
10. Just Don’t Think About It
Since releasing 2018’s “The More I Sleep the Less I Dream”, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with founding member Michael Palmer the following year, they knew they would likely need to go through a sonic transition.
Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a successful US tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the uncertainty that the lockdown brought, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise. Fifteen years into their career, the trio are more focused than ever. Previous single “If It Happens” is all at once grand yet restrained – sonically reflective of its lyrical examination of the bigger picture of life and how that can be boiled down to a simple phrase; “If it happens, it happens”. The essence of this statement carries through the entire album and is no doubt equally indicative of how the band had to adapt to writing in a new way due to the pandemic.
With versions of the songs being passed between the band members remotely, they found the collaborative process engaging and rewarding. “Writing together this way allowed us to stay in contact all the time, talk about the songs and what we were individually and collectively trying to achieve with them. Even though we were unable to be in the same room, this way of working allowed us to create together and communicate more directly”, says Adam. “Having music to focus on during lockdown assured us that we wanted to keep writing songs together for many more years”.
“We’re all very appreciative of the people who are listening to us”, Darren says. “It pushes us to keep getting better”. Nodding to both the band and their ever-loyal fans, Adam agrees. “It is very much our band, and we do this because we can do it together”.
UK Tour Dates 2021:
2 Dec - Lemon Tree - Aberdeen, Scotland
3 Dec - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England
4 Dec - Whelans - Dublin, Ireland
5 Dec - Gorilla - Manchester, England
7 Dec - Village Underground, London England
8 Dec - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, Wales
9 Dec - Exchange - Bristol, England
10 Dec - Cluny - Newcastle, England
11 Dec - QMU - Glasgow, Scotland
European Tour Dates 2022:
8 Feb - Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso (upstairs)
9 Feb - Cologne, DE, Luxor
10 Feb - Hamburg, DE, Uebel & Gefarlich
11 Feb - Berlin, DE, Gretchen
12 Feb - Munich, DE, Ampere
14 Feb - Saarbucken, DE, Garage
15 Feb - Zurich, CH, Papiersaal
16 Feb - Wiesbaden, DE, Schlachtof
17 Feb - Luxembourg City, LUX, Rotondes
18 Feb - Antwerp, BE, Kavka
18 Feb - Paris, FR, La Boule Noire
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/wewerepromisedjetpacks
twitter.com/wwpj
Along with the announcement they share single “Fat Chance”, which follows on from previous new single “If It Happens”, released via 7" this month. The new tracks signify a change in musical direction for the band, with “Fat Chance” an ode to overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds. Watch the video for “Fat Chance” below.
Lead singer Adam Thompson explains: “We started properly writing this album at the end of March 2020 when we realised that everything was going to be shut down. We had a US tour lined up in May but obviously had to cancel. So from March to June, we sent each other ideas remotely and collaborated that way. I was so glad we had a project to focus on when proper lockdown hit. When we were able to get into our practice space in July, we were finally able to jam and write more like we normally do. This song came out of those sessions pretty early on”.
Longtime fans of We Were Promised Jetpacks alongside music critics, often cite the band’s flair for writing infectious pop songs encased within grandiose guitar driven rock soundscapes, yet new single “Fat Chance” offers a change of pace and a glimpse into what to expect from the forthcoming album. With tightly packed drums and cleverly woven guitar arrangements, the band prioritise the track’s melodic core with effortless dexterity.
“I was just messing about on guitar in our studio and got the verse chords and as soon as the other guys joined in, we had a song! We can sometimes spend weeks and months and years trying to get the right parts together but this one flowed. I finished the pre-chorus and chorus that day and sent the demo to the rest of the band and we were excited about it straight away”, Thompson said.
Pre-order “Enjoy the View” here.
Tracklist:
1. Not Me Anymore
2. Fat Chance
3. All That Glittered
4. Don’t Hold Your Breath for Too Long
5. What I Know Now
6. If It Happens
7. I Wish You Well
8. Blood, Sweat, Tears
9. Nothing Ever Changes
10. Just Don’t Think About It
Since releasing 2018’s “The More I Sleep the Less I Dream”, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with founding member Michael Palmer the following year, they knew they would likely need to go through a sonic transition.
Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a successful US tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the uncertainty that the lockdown brought, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise. Fifteen years into their career, the trio are more focused than ever. Previous single “If It Happens” is all at once grand yet restrained – sonically reflective of its lyrical examination of the bigger picture of life and how that can be boiled down to a simple phrase; “If it happens, it happens”. The essence of this statement carries through the entire album and is no doubt equally indicative of how the band had to adapt to writing in a new way due to the pandemic.
With versions of the songs being passed between the band members remotely, they found the collaborative process engaging and rewarding. “Writing together this way allowed us to stay in contact all the time, talk about the songs and what we were individually and collectively trying to achieve with them. Even though we were unable to be in the same room, this way of working allowed us to create together and communicate more directly”, says Adam. “Having music to focus on during lockdown assured us that we wanted to keep writing songs together for many more years”.
“We’re all very appreciative of the people who are listening to us”, Darren says. “It pushes us to keep getting better”. Nodding to both the band and their ever-loyal fans, Adam agrees. “It is very much our band, and we do this because we can do it together”.
UK Tour Dates 2021:
2 Dec - Lemon Tree - Aberdeen, Scotland
3 Dec - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England
4 Dec - Whelans - Dublin, Ireland
5 Dec - Gorilla - Manchester, England
7 Dec - Village Underground, London England
8 Dec - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, Wales
9 Dec - Exchange - Bristol, England
10 Dec - Cluny - Newcastle, England
11 Dec - QMU - Glasgow, Scotland
European Tour Dates 2022:
8 Feb - Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso (upstairs)
9 Feb - Cologne, DE, Luxor
10 Feb - Hamburg, DE, Uebel & Gefarlich
11 Feb - Berlin, DE, Gretchen
12 Feb - Munich, DE, Ampere
14 Feb - Saarbucken, DE, Garage
15 Feb - Zurich, CH, Papiersaal
16 Feb - Wiesbaden, DE, Schlachtof
17 Feb - Luxembourg City, LUX, Rotondes
18 Feb - Antwerp, BE, Kavka
18 Feb - Paris, FR, La Boule Noire
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/wewerepromisedjetpacks
twitter.com/wwpj