Across vignettes of social paranoia, disastrous holidays, picturesque European towns and the oddness of everyday life, the second EP from Hartlepool four-piece Lurcher comes into full view. Comprising of five tracks, the new record Bad Gag builds on the raw energy, witty commentary and grounded perspective of the band’s debut EP, With Love. Recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle with Chris McManus, you’ll not only notice an elevation in the storytelling, but also a more focused and confident sound overall. Underpinning Lurcher‘s distinctive post-punk blend of dark humour and genuine feeling are layers of coarse-edged guitars and forceful rhythms. Listening to Bad Gag, it’s not surprising that this North-East English outfit have already drawn support from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and Radio X as it really taps into that live show experience that’s so often lost through over-production and commercialisation these days. It can be argued that this second EP also acts as a bridge between Lurcher‘s humble beginnings and their future ambitions, that being with the right audience, this could propel them to the next level. With all of this in mind, we caught up with Lurcher for On The Record to discuss the EP, why humour can’t exist without bitterness, and what’s next for this band on the rise.
Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t already familiar with Lurcher, can you introduce yourselves?
We’re lurcher, we’re a four piece project from Hartlepool. We all come from different musical backgrounds and households.
Congratulations on the recent release of your sophomore EP! For those discovering you through Bad Gag for the first time, how would you describe this release in three words?
Paranoia through sound
How do you think the process changed compared with writing, recording and releasing your first EP?
Our writing process was less deliberate in ‘with love’. It was our first time doing anything like that together, we flung shit at a wall and saw what stuck. With Bad Gag our tastes had all changed, that combined with a newly found sound and the desire to make something a bit darker and challenging the yellow one was born.
Would you say that growing up in Hartlepool has remained a core facet of the band? If so, how does that show up in Bad Gag?
It’s always gonna be there because it’s who we are. Wether we explicitly reference it in the future is hard to tell, Hartlepool is a fantastical place and relates a broad range of subjects, it will probably be hard not to give a sly nod to our home.
There’s a dry, almost uncomfortable humour running through the record, touching on catastrophic holidays, social paranoia and local subcultures. Where does that tone come from?
Bitterness if I’m being honest. As we’ve said before though that bitterness can’t exist without the humour but a lot of things we write stem from a moan or a joke. I’ve always joked when best not to. Unpleasant tasting medicine often does the trick when ye on deaths door.
Elsewhere, the EP leans more heavily into atmosphere and mood, like on ‘Ortenberg’. What’s the story behind this one?
I’d went travelling across a bit of Europe for 12 days on rail with two mates and the last place we stayed before heading home was Ortenberg. A small town on the French boarder. Was the quietest 3 days of my life, could’ve died happy there. The cleanest place on earth, coleslaw with strands of sausage and pickle, good bacon,. schnitzel, even better views. On the first day there I saw a mural on the side of the church of what I now know was Saint Michael Standing in the devils head and driving a spear through his neck in a very uncomfortable Picasso like style. Felt like Kansas had burned and I was stuck in Oz. A foreign wallet playing bohemian.
We’re really drawn to the emotional intensity in ‘Quad Biking’, which bubbles over into something frantic and raw. How did this track come together?
After playing a sting of gigs we found the time to jam some stuff out. Took us about 5 minutes to have the skeleton,.got a quick phone recording and finished the lyrics at Blank on recording day.
Of these tracks, which is your favourite one to play live? And why?
Every song is equally enjoyable to play live but our heavier songs usually get the best reaction out of the crowd. Ortenberg and Wretched Egg are up there for us and when the crowd really gets into it, we can’t get enough.
What else do you hope that listeners will take away from Bad Gag?
We hope the listeners just have an absolute blast listening to it, we loved making it and to have people actively listening to our music is the biggest compliment to us.
Following the release of this EP, what will be next on the horizon for you?
We’re back in the practice room writing new stuff and got a few gigs lined up. We’re still riding the wave with the release of Bad Gag to be honest. The reception has been unreal. we’re buzzin’. But we’ve already started planting seeds for EP 3. No pressure….
You can also find lead single ‘Punchline Blues’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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