ASIWYFA: Tony, Rory, Johnny & Chris
Irish instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar have made their new album ‘Gangs‘ available to stream and download digitally on Bandcamp.
The second album from the Belfast four-piece, originally set for May 2nd, was released by the band’s label Richter Collective ahead of schedule after being leaked online in its entirety yesterday afternoon.
Listeners can choose to stream the album freely or download the record in their chosen format for as little as £3.99, with the physical format available from the album’s launch gig in Belfast’s Mandela Hall tomorrow (April 29th), and to buy from their label’s website from May 2nd.
Support on the Belfast launch date comes from electro labelmates Not Squares along with the mighty Irish North Coast punk pairing Axis Of and Lantern For A Gale, while the band travel to Dublin’s Button Factory for a second launch the following day (April 30th).
The follow-up to the band’s self-titled debut is a result of over a year’s worth of writing being scrapped and replaced with new ideas recorded over an eight-week period last summer between tour dates at Start Together Studios in Belfast.
“We suddenly took this notion that we didn’t like any of the songs. This was four weeks before we went into the studio. We had demoed the whole thing and had it all mapped out. We took bits and pieces that we liked but we wrote a whole new set of songs. It’s worked out.” said guitarist Rory Friers.
Speaking of the title of the record he explained “Everything we’ve done, places we’ve played all, people we’ve met, all circulate around these pockets of people, pockets of scenes and pockets of culture. These gangs of people who emanate from everywhere. It’s that DIY / The Clash / Black Flag sort of thing that our band is like a gang sometimes.
Following the launch gigs ASIWYFA set out on a full UK tour throughout May, dates can be seen on the poster.
For now you can watch the band in action playing ‘S is for Salamander‘ from last year’s ‘Letters‘ EP live in Belfast, filmed by Will McConnell of Bandwidth Sessions.