BLUE VIOLET RETURN WITH BRAND NEW SINGLE: “FAVOURITE JEANS”.
BLUE VIOLET are back with news of a new EP, single and a spread of Scottish tour dates this Autumn.
Directly following their debut album ‘Late Night Calls’ (released in the Spring of 2022), the band have been busily working towards its successor in the shape of a new EP entitled: ‘Love, Hate & Forgiveness’. Confirmed for release on 21st October, the four track release will feature two acoustic reworkings of ‘Late Night Calls’ classics, plus two brand new offerings including the new single “Favourite Jeans” which is available to hear now.
While described by Blue Violet as “a continuation of themes, both sonically and lyrically, that we explored on our debut album”, the songs of the ‘Love, Hate & Forgiveness’ EP mark a distinctly different writing chapter for the duo. Whereas the songs heard on their debut album ‘Late Night Calls’ date back to a prolific month-long session in 2019 with producer Rob Ellis (Anna Calvi, Marianne Faithful, PJ Harvey) at Devon’s Middle Farm Studios; their upcoming material is a glimpse of how the pair spent the inescapable lockdown of the following year.
“For all of the chaos and hardships that Covid brought to the world it also provide ample time for people to be creative” reflects singer Sarah Gotley of the ‘Love, Hate & Forgiveness’ EP. “So although we only released our debut album in April this year we wanted to bring out some of the music that we’d been working on in that time”.
BLUE VIOLET – ‘LOVE, HATE, & FORGIVENESS’
EP TRACKLISTING
Favourite Jeans
Love, Hate & Forgiveness
Halo (Acoustic)
Rabbit Hole (Acoustic)
Songs of social distancing and hand-sanitising, these are thankfully not. Instead the duo used the time as an opportunity to step away from the humdrum of the everyday and into the imaginative, character-driven worlds Blue Violet so capably envision. The material of ‘Love, Hate & Forgiveness’ EP is the first to emerge from these sessions and finds them expanding their universe.
Featured single “Favourite Jeans” is a strung-out alternative/acoustic ballad and one that broadly picks up the narrative of previous single “Rabbit Hole” (an acoustic version of which is also featured on this new EP). Yet, whereas “Rabbit Hole” captures the dilemma of someone who finds themselves estranged from their loved ones and struggling with addiction issues; “Favourite Jeans” writes-in a redemptive coda as the protagonist picks up the pieces on the long road to recovery.
“It’s about having the courage to pick yourself up after a hard time and the little things you do to find happiness again” Sarah says.
BLUE VIOLET – ‘LOVE, HATE & FORGIVENESS” EP – OUT 21 OCTOBER, VIA ME & MY RECORDS
LISTEN TO “FAVOURITE JEANS” FROM 23 SEPTEMBER
STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE
Elsewhere “Love, Hate & Forgiveness” gives the new EP its name; a brittle track that deftly captures with the obsession and desperation that a so all-consuming in the aftermath of a bitter break-up, with Sarah gracefully vocalsing the “internal turmoil that presents itself when it all goes a bit wrong”.
With echoes of the brittle acoustica of Beth Orton to the melancholia of Mazzy Star, the new material was produced by the esteemed Patrick James Pearson (who also played keys on the band’s debut album). The EP also features stripped-back, acoustic versions of “Rabbit Hole” and “Halo”, both of which were recorded live with Blue Violet’s full live band over the summer.
With plans already afoot to take their new material out on the road, Blue Violet will be hooking-up with previous touring pals Tide Lines for a coast to coast tour of Scotland from 15th September to 15th October. Hinting what to expect from the shows
Sarah adds:
“We toured with Tide Lines last winter and it’s really nice of them to have us along again… We’re opening up for them acoustically as a duo and it felt like a cool idea to explore that side of things in the studio by basing a couple of recordings around the acoustic guitar rather than do another full band scale production.”
Four pared-back and poignant tracks that let Blue Violet’s songwriting partnership shine, the ‘Love, Hate & Forgiveness’ EP is released on 21st October 2022, via Me & My Records.
Catch Blue Violet at these upcoming dates as follows:
TIDE LINES/BLUE VIOLET:
Sept 22nd: Alloa Town Hall
Sept 23rd: Victoria Hall, Selkirk
Sept 24th: Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Sept 29th: Greenock Town Hall
Sept 30th: Victoria Hall, Helensborough
Oct 1st: Students Association Club 601, St Andrews
Oct 13th: Inverurie Town Hall
Oct 14th: Public Institute, Fochabers
Oct 15th: Badenoch Centre, Kingussie
Tickets on sale now: https://www.blueviolet.uk/live-1