News of the new record has been marked by the release of brand-new single ‘National Rust’, an indie-funk inflected tune that was premiered last night (Wednesday) by Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Judging by the new track, there’s an evident verve about the Cardiff-based four-piece as we head towards their sophomore album – and with good reason, as it follows their Welsh Music Prize-nominated debut Backhand Deals, which arrived in 2022.
Skinwalker will also feature previously released singles which arrived in the form of the brilliantly chaotic ‘Chew’ and the frenetically fuzzy ‘Therapy’; and now you can delve into the new album’s third cut via the video below.
The darker tones and aesthetics of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard’s new album is said to take its inspiration, and indeed its name, from found-footage horror and the Navajo concept of the Skinwalker – a legendary malevolent shapeshifter.
Thematically, each track is designed to take you through descending floors of frontman and producer Tom Rees’ mind, with each becoming more horrific than the last until he confronts Skinwalker at the final floor, representing his inner fears, self-sabotage, self-doubt and hatred.
As you can deduce from that, there’ll no doubt be a lot to unpack.
Speaking on the latest track alone, though, Rees has explained: “‘National Rust’ was my attempt at consolidating my 2020 obsession with Sly and the Family Stone with my 2021 obsession with David Bowie’s album Low.
“It was the first song that really paved the way for the new album, it broke a lot of the sonic boundaries that I was writing within when starting the second album, “I AM NOT AFRAID OF PLAYING FUNKY GUITAR!”, I exclaimed, mu-tron in hand.
“Lyrically, it made a statement that informed my songwriting moving forward as well, being a flagrant rejection of my previous political song writing, and an admission of alienation amongst a plethora of information.
“‘National Rust’ acts as a bridge between my younger, more political perspective, and my more recent, more apathetic one.”
And it’s not just recording news the band’s fans can be buzzing (yes, I’ll use that word) for.
Having already toured with the likes of The Magic Gang and Miles Kane – not to mention a scheduled support slot for Noel Gallagher at the Royal Albert Hall before the pesky pandemic struck, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have a forthcoming tour of their own.
The band will be hitting the road this March for 16 dates across the UK, where they’ll also be debuting their new material.
Check out the full list of dates below – and visit the band’s site for more information and to buy tickets.
FEBRUARY 2024
24 – Swansea, Swansea Arena House Party
MARCH 2024
01 – Oxford, Jericho Tavern
03 – Exeter, The Cavern
04 – Falmouth, Cornish Bank
06 – Norwich, Voodoo Daddy’s
07 – Chelmsford, Hot Box
08 – Ipswich, The Smokehouse
10 – Tunbridge Wells, Forum
12 – Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms
13 – St Albans, The Horn
14 – Ramsgate, Music Hall
16 – Peterborough, Met Lounge
17 – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
18 – Hull, Adelphi Club
20 – Stockton, Ku Bar
21 – Sunderland, Independent
22 – Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms
24 – Grimsby, Docks Academy
25 – York, The Fulford Arms
26 – Clitheroe, The Swan & Royal
27 – Frome, The Tree House
APRIL
02 – Rotterdam, Netherlands, V11
03 – Paris, France, L’International
04 – Hasselt, Belgium, Café Café
