One of the many highlights of âBright Hoursâ, it is the latest tantalising glimpse of what will be the bandâs first album for over 30 years, released on 19 February 2021.
Recalling the golden-gilded works of Teenage Fanclub or Doves, âMy Wet Faceâ is an uplifting piece of Northern power-pop that knowingly nods to Bradfordâs past and present.Â
Hallmarked with those classic shimmering guitars and finely-sculpted melodies by which the band first made their name; there is also an undercurrent of melancholia and wistful lyricism here that indicate a band changed by the interim years that have passed since their 1988 debut.
âMy Wet Face is an 'up' song dealing with a 'down' subject - the essential existential dilemma that absolutely nothing material can be held onto in any meaningful way. Itâs about the pain of life where essentially our memory is the only thing that can comfort us with recollections of beautiful moments, or even painful ones which have been somewhat assuaged by the passing of time.â
Also inspired in-passing by Ianâs late mother who died of dementia âand didn’t even recognise me or my sister or my father in her final two years on earthâ; the track provides a potent pause for thought on the fragility of the human mind and memories we come to treasure.Â
Tying in with the songâs nostalgic themes, the single arrives with an artfully designed video by William Tucker. Unfolding like the pages of a well-worn scrapbook its content whirls through Bradfordâs roller-coaster journey to the here and now
Created & produced by Bradford (Ian Hodgson, Ewan Butler & Stephen Street), âMy Wet Faceâ was mixed by Stephen Street (Blur/New Order/ Kaiser Chiefs) and mastered by John Davies at Metropolis mastering. It is taken from what will be Bradfordâs first new studio album in over three decades: âBright Hoursâ – set for release next month.
