Rats On Rafts reveal new track ‘Fragments’ from their new album ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths’ set for release on 29th January on Fire Records.
Evolving, testing, infectious…
“One of the great contemporary European rock bands” Louder Than War
“They’ve mapped out a whole new territory to explore” The Quietus
Starting out as their own non-stop waltz that appeared in their live sets with de Kift, Rats On Rafts were inspired by the orchestral and playful arrangements of Van Dyke Parks. Challenging themselves to create an orchestral piece without strings or brass, ‘Fragments’ is an arresting piece with the band’s signature high-octane performance at its core.
‘Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths’ was supposed to be a concept set but it subsumed itself and, in doing so, became a concept piece in its own right; a fragmented journey into the id punctuated with rhythmic kabuki modal mood swings, thunderstorms and digital beeps reminding that time is ticking – something of an aside in this purely analogue recorded set. There are voices revealing snippets of the story, traffic noise, and just plain old beautiful cacophonous reverb-drenched sound when needed. It’s light, it’s dark; it’s darker still.
If ‘Tape Hiss’ was their very own sketch of a sketch for an incomplete concept album, a noisy reaction to their previous life, then ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths’, with all its interlaced intricacies, is the realisation of their transition from punk-spiked-pop to psyche-pop protagonists.
“It’s an inner rush, exciting but at the end you’re back in the same place you started out at and what has changed? Memories become fragments, but like a scent the emotion behind it can be very intense with those fragmented memories having more control over you than the other way round” David Fagan – Rats On Rafts
• Beautifully housed in deluxe fold out origami sleeve packaging
• LTD ‘Dinked Edition’ in origami sleeve and on dark green vinyl with bonus ‘Tokyo Music Experience’ 7” containing an exclusive b-side. LTD to 400
Pre-order ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths’
Photo credit: Erik Christenhusz
Fire Records
