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Black Flies Biography
‘alt-psych-rock-reverbilicious-shoegaze… if that ever were a genre, these guys would be the faces of it’. Bristol’s sonically boundary pushing trio leapt out of the woodwork mid-2019 and since their emergence have fallen nothing short of delivering spectacularly high-octane live performances. Echoing a steady influential dose of transatlantic, hard-hitting but intelligently guitar-driven bands such as Balance and Composure and Pianos Become The Teeth. The storytelling ability associated with these artists is also apparent in the vividness and poignancy of the band’s lyrics, marked by the throaty howl of singer/guitarist, Joshua Milton.
Assembling creatively as a group in 2016–previously writing and performing under a different moniker–Black Flies now feature a three-piece line-up fronted by vocalist and guitarist Joshua Milton, alongside Jack Barrett (guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Hennessey (drums). Through a short stint of line-up changes, which saw the group working with Finn Mclean (Black Foxxes) on drums and Tom on bass, they found a collective unity in their now established roles in the project.
Playing loud combinations of grunge/alt-rock, inspired by the music of bands like Deftones & Arcane Roots, Black Flies have cut their teeth on the diverse grassroot spaces Bristol and the surrounding area has at the doorstep.
In light of the last year, their latest endeavour started as just a few fragments of an idea. Calling upon producer & engineer James Trevascus (Bakewell Audio, Invada Records)– whom the band have a long-standing working relationship with–to man the helm, the group strove to recalibrate the thunderous sounds that is slowly becoming unmistakably theirs. With a self-released EP & two singles previously under their belt, their forthcoming two singles further demonstrate the group’s impetus to explore all possible corners of the sonic spectrum yet serve but a glance into the ever-evolving, ambitious road map the band have laid out for themselves. Neither song hesitates; cascading into a sonic sensory overload, both straddle the juxtaposed rage yet equally fragile temperament of the band’s ability to wind the listener down the rabbit hole of the subject matter.
Recorded in various different spaces, across 4 months, the trio grew step-by-step closer to honing in on the sound they all were collectively foraging for. They were keen to delve more into the sphere of layering synths and FXs, of which can be heard garnished across both tracks. Taking inspiration from their favoured electronic artists like Rival Consoles and Jon Hopkins, and how they so effectively create a deeper, more cavernous world for their fans to explore upon listening, Black Flies have set out to do the same; endeavouring to establish their balance between an almost living, breathing synth ladened sound coupled with their colossal guitar driven wall of noise–a sounds that’s been influenced and guided by Jack Barrett’s involvement with Bristol-based electronic project Poisonous Birds (Tom Ridley).
“We’re feeling very comfortable at the moment in terms of the sonic direction we’re heading in. We’re exploring new things, new ideas and way of approaching the music. Where we’d previously have felt out of our comfort our comfort zones, we’re now embracing that with open arms; following where the ideas naturally want to evolve and reach out into rather than having a pre-determined or assumed destination. Now we’re quite happy to explore weird ideas and see where they go. We’re all really excited to get back out in front of people, the show is nothing like it was before and these two songs are but a drop in the ocean to what we’ve got in store for everyone.”
A Concrete Garden Where I Lay To Rest & A Flash Of Searing Light will be out late 2021 & early 2022, respectively, and both show that the band’s muse has no intention of coming off the brakes anytime soon.
Read MoreAssembling creatively as a group in 2016–previously writing and performing under a different moniker–Black Flies now feature a three-piece line-up fronted by vocalist and guitarist Joshua Milton, alongside Jack Barrett (guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Hennessey (drums). Through a short stint of line-up changes, which saw the group working with Finn Mclean (Black Foxxes) on drums and Tom on bass, they found a collective unity in their now established roles in the project.
Playing loud combinations of grunge/alt-rock, inspired by the music of bands like Deftones & Arcane Roots, Black Flies have cut their teeth on the diverse grassroot spaces Bristol and the surrounding area has at the doorstep.
In light of the last year, their latest endeavour started as just a few fragments of an idea. Calling upon producer & engineer James Trevascus (Bakewell Audio, Invada Records)– whom the band have a long-standing working relationship with–to man the helm, the group strove to recalibrate the thunderous sounds that is slowly becoming unmistakably theirs. With a self-released EP & two singles previously under their belt, their forthcoming two singles further demonstrate the group’s impetus to explore all possible corners of the sonic spectrum yet serve but a glance into the ever-evolving, ambitious road map the band have laid out for themselves. Neither song hesitates; cascading into a sonic sensory overload, both straddle the juxtaposed rage yet equally fragile temperament of the band’s ability to wind the listener down the rabbit hole of the subject matter.
Recorded in various different spaces, across 4 months, the trio grew step-by-step closer to honing in on the sound they all were collectively foraging for. They were keen to delve more into the sphere of layering synths and FXs, of which can be heard garnished across both tracks. Taking inspiration from their favoured electronic artists like Rival Consoles and Jon Hopkins, and how they so effectively create a deeper, more cavernous world for their fans to explore upon listening, Black Flies have set out to do the same; endeavouring to establish their balance between an almost living, breathing synth ladened sound coupled with their colossal guitar driven wall of noise–a sounds that’s been influenced and guided by Jack Barrett’s involvement with Bristol-based electronic project Poisonous Birds (Tom Ridley).
“We’re feeling very comfortable at the moment in terms of the sonic direction we’re heading in. We’re exploring new things, new ideas and way of approaching the music. Where we’d previously have felt out of our comfort our comfort zones, we’re now embracing that with open arms; following where the ideas naturally want to evolve and reach out into rather than having a pre-determined or assumed destination. Now we’re quite happy to explore weird ideas and see where they go. We’re all really excited to get back out in front of people, the show is nothing like it was before and these two songs are but a drop in the ocean to what we’ve got in store for everyone.”
A Concrete Garden Where I Lay To Rest & A Flash Of Searing Light will be out late 2021 & early 2022, respectively, and both show that the band’s muse has no intention of coming off the brakes anytime soon.
Alternative
Alternative Rock
Rock
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