New Model Army are taking new album Between Dog And Wolf on the road.
The album, recorded in Los Angeles, marks a “major evolution” in their sound. While it is filled with multi-layered drums and atmospheric musical textures, it sacrifices none of the band’s trademark passion and song-writing skills.
The album is the first to feature new bass player, 26-year-old Ceri Monger.
Says founder and lead singer Justin Sullivan: “We were always planning to do something a bit different with this album, and it has turned out much more and much better than we could have imagined. Sonically, this is the best album we’ve ever made, while creatively it has opened lots of new doors.
“The title comes from a medieval French expression for dusk - when it’s hard to distinguish between dog and wolf, friend or foe. That sense of contradiction represents the band very well and there’s something of this sense of transformation in the album.”
He adds: “It has been a stormy four years since the release of the last album; with the sudden death of our manager, the loss of our studio in the fire, subsequent theft of remaining equipment and our old bass player Nelson’s departure, we in essence lost everything.
“We used this to make a new beginning and part of the change came with the arrival of Ceri and the refreshing energy and musical influences he brought. We’re very excited about the new album and what the future holds.”
The album cover artwork is based around a painting by the band’s longtime artistic collaborator, Joolz Denby.
“I always hear the albums being created from the first acoustic strum onwards and it became obvious that this one was going to be different from previous records,” she said.
“Justin saw some artwork I had designed originally for a tattoo client of mine, an image of Herne the Hunter and the Herlathing, and the primitive tribal paganism of the picture really symbolised to him the heavy pounding drum rhythms and passions that are at the heart of this album.”
A documentary on the history of the band, directed by Royal Television Society Award-winning Matt Reid, has been four years in the making and is set for a release in early 2014.
New Model Army play O2 Academy Leeds on November 14.