Manchester alternative punks, The Empty Page, return with new single, Dry Ice, themed on the allure of of sweaty nightclubs, and bringing together a very engaging mixture of post punk, goth and synthpop sounds. Following their very well received early material from 2019, the new song is the first reveal from the band's second full length which is yet to be titled and is set to be released in Spring 2023.
Singer and bassist Kel comments: “Dry Ice was inspired by the alluring stench that pours out the back door of a club, beckoning you in as you walk past. The chorus celebrates ‘the crush of the warm crowd’ - the joy of moving as one to loud music in a roomful of people. It’s about writhing together unselfconsciously.
“I was already feeling nostalgic for freer, easier times, late nights, chippy tea bus rides, when I started scribbling down ideas but the restrictions of the pandemic exacerbated that yearning for closeness to strangers. I still don’t think we’re quite back there with the freedom to mingle sweatily that we once took for granted. This song is a celebration of that ‘disco convulsion’.”
With delicate but insistent synths and ever more woozy guitars incorporated to their tense and vibrant punk sound, the song is a strong number which finds the band reinvigorated and in peak form.
Guitarist Giz adds: “We have started experimenting more with how we record our songs. On our debut album, it was all about the sound of a band in a room, not too much messing with that. On these new tracks, we’ve been playing with old Pro One synthesisers and bust-up pianos. Experimenting more with layers of guitar sounds and other noises. It’s definitely a progression.”
The track was produced by the enigmatic Morton Kong and recorded at Eve Studios in Stockport.
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ZR